


Melancholy of Flowers

by SeEun402



Series: Torrent [2]
Category: Yoroiden Samurai Troopers | Ronin Warriors
Genre: Drama, Emotional Hurt, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Drama, Forced Relationship, Manipulation, Oral Sex, Relationship Issues, Secret Crush, Sorceresses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-18 23:01:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9406769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeEun402/pseuds/SeEun402
Summary: A year has gone by since Evil Torrent. Now the Ronins are in college. Hana returns to Cye's side but with a heavy heart. With her new found ability, she must overcome obstacles. One obstacle, is having Cye leave her for another woman. A new villain is at work and is determined to destroy Hana and her happiness.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana returns and meets the new member of the group.

A/N: Please read the first story: Evil Torrent, before reading this one. This is a sequel and unless you read the first story, you won’t understand what is happening.

* * *

Cye ran toward the building door, struggling to hold onto his blue messenger bag. His auburn hair blew lightly in the wind and his teal eyes were full of determination. He raced inside, flew up two sets of stairs and down the hallway.

“I’m late! I knew I shouldn’t have stayed up all night with Kento!” he thought to himself as he stopped in front of a door. He carefully opened it, only to find students, plus the professor staring at him.

“You are late, Mr. Mouri,” said the professor sternly.

“I’m so sorry. My alarm clock didn’t go off. It won’t happen again,” Cye apologized as he closed the door behind him.

“Well, make sure it doesn’t. Please take a seat,” his professor said as he continued to write on the chalk board.

“Yes, sir,” Cye said, feeling his face grow warm.

Cye’s face grew red as he took a seat in the back of the room. He could feel eyes on him from the other students. He got out his notebook, textbook and opened to the pages he was supposed to be on. As the professor continued his lecture on Japanese history, Cye couldn’t help but not pay attention to what the professor was saying. History didn’t bore him or anything; he was just having trouble concentrating on things.

His friends went off to different colleges other than Ryo and Kento; they were going to the same college as he was. Sage went to Osaka for school and Rowen went to America for a student scholarship. Of course he missed his two friends; it wasn’t the same without them. But the one person he really missed was Hana. It had been almost a year since he last saw her. He thought about her every day and night, wondering if she was doing alright and when she would return to him.

Time flew by and class was finally over. He packed his things and walked out the door with the rest of his classmates. As he got out of the classroom and into the hallway, he saw a girl about two feet shorter than he was. She had light brown hair that stopped a couple of inches past her shoulders, and a yellow clip on bow on the side of her head. She was standing against the wall just outside the classroom door. She noticed his presence and smiled at him gently.

“Hey, Natsumi,” Cye greeted with his own smile.

“Hi, Cye. How are you?” Natsumi asked in a quiet voice.

“I’m doing alright. How about yourself?” he questioned as he leaned up against the hallway wall next to her.

“I’m fine,” she replied. She was looking at her feet while her hands fidgeted in front of her.

There was awkward silence between the two of them. Natsumi’s face turned red every time she looked at Cye. She thanked God that her light brown hair was covering half her face. She met Cye a week into their first year of college. She accidently bumped into him in the hallway and fell on the floor. He helped her up with a smile. After that day, they kept passing each other, but didn’t say anything other than hello. He approached her one day when she was sitting by herself, eating her lunch. They started talking casually and ever since that day, she met him after his class.

“Say, Natsumi, do you have any classes next?” Cye asked as he watched students pass by them.

“No. Not for a while, why?” Natsumi asked, looking up at the man.

“My two friends and I are going to hang out by that big cherry tree that’s right by the parking lot. Would you like to join us? You already met Ryo before,” Cye said.

“Sure. I mean… if that’s okay with you,” Natsumi answered shyly.

Cye laughed at the response he got. “I’m the one who is inviting you, silly. Don’t worry about it.”

Natsumi could feel the blood rush to her face again. “Okay...”

“Great. Let’s go.” Cye took Natsumi’s hand and led her outside.

“Dude! What took you so long?” Kento asked, standing at the bottom of the stone steps with hands on his hips. “I thought I was going to pass out with hunger.”

“I was talking with Natsumi,” Cye replied as the two of them reached the top of the stairs.

“Hello, Natsumi,” Ryo said, flashing a smile.

“Hello, Ryo.” Natsumi said shyly while still holding Cye’s hand.

“Natsumi, huh? I’m Kento Rei Fuan,” Kento introduced with his signature wide smile on his round face.

“Nice to meet you, Kento,” she said, bowing slightly at the dark blue-haired man.

“So, Cye, what’s with the holding hands thing? You over Hana or something?” Kento asked, raising his thick brow.

“What?! No,” Cye said, his face getting red at the accusation.

“Who’s… Hana?” Natsumi asked as she looked up at Cye. A frown formed on her pink lips as she noticed the hint of pink on his cheeks.

“Cye’s girlfriend,” Kento smiled.

“I see,” Natsumi said quietly. The concrete suddenly became of interest as she stared at her feet.

“Yeah. She’s away for now, but I’m sure she’ll return,” Kento said nonchalantly. Natsumi continued to look at the ground, avoiding all eye contact from either of the boys.

“That’s enough, Kento,” Cye demanded angrily. His brows furrowed as he stared at his hard-headed friend.

“What?” Kento asked, looking at Cye than Ryo.

“I’ll tell you later, Kento,” Ryo whispered. “But for now you should stop talking.”

“Whatever, dude. Hey, are we just going to stand here? Or are we going to go to our favorite spot on campus?” Kento said, clenching strap of his lunch bag with his large hand.

“Sure. Are you coming, Natsumi?” Ryo asked. He was looking at their new member who still found interest in the ground.

“Um… I’m not sure...” Natsumi said softly with her head still down.

Cye glared at Kento. “Natsumi, don’t worry about it. Let’s just have some fun together.” Natsumi looked up at Cye and then nodded slowly. “Good, let’s go.” Cye led Natsumi behind him as the boys walked over to their spot.

* * *

 

Hana left the store at the gas station with water bottle and a bag of chips. She got into her car and drove out onto the road.

“I spent an hour lost,” she said to herself, almost in disbelief. A pout formed on her face until she passed a sign indicating that she was in Kanagawa. “It’s good to be back. I can’t wait to see everyone.”

* * *

 

“Kento, stop stealing my sandwiches!” Cye exclaimed as he took away the container from Kento’s reach.

“Can’t help it man, they are just so good!” Kento said with a smile as he devoured another cucumber sandwich.

Cye sighed as he tried to eat the rest of his lunch before Kento could get his hands on them again.

“Are you okay, Natsumi?” Ryo asked. “You haven’t said much since we got here.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Natsumi said with a small smile.

“You haven’t eaten anything,” Ryo said with a concerned face. He watched as the girl in front of him moved her food with her chopsticks.

“Oh. I’m not really hungry,” she explained in a low voice.

“Here. Have one of my sandwiches,” Cye said. He handed her a cucumber on white bread sandwich.

“Thank you,” Natsumi said as she took it.

“So, you give her one and you tell me not to eat anymore?” Kento asked with a frown across his face.

“That’s because she’s not eating. You ate your lunch, half of Ryo’s and three of my sandwiches. You had enough,” Cye said sternly as if he were Kento’s father.

Kento pouted and drank his water. Natsumi took a bite out of Cye’s sandwich, the crisp taste of the cucumber mixed with mayonnaise, tickled her taste buds. “It’s very tasty,” she complimented.

“Thank you. It wasn’t hard to make,” Cye smiled as he saw her pop the rest of the sandwich in her mouth.

Natsumi just sat there afterwards, red in the face, staring at her hands.

“Natsumi, is there something bothering you? You can tell us what it is. We won’t say anything to anyone,” Cye said as he put a hand on her small shoulder.

“I can’t,” Natsumi said softly, shaking her head. “I can’t... tell any of you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Ryo said. “If you don’t want to say anything, then we won’t pressure you.”

“Aw man! I have math in like two minutes!” Kento said as he got up. “I can’t stand the subject! And the teacher isn’t so great either.”

“Have fun,” Ryo said with a hint of sympathy in his voice.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll catch you guys later,” Kento said as he finished gathering his things. He raced off, leaving Ryo, Cye, and Natsumi alone.

“What class do you have next, Ryo?” Cye asked as he, too, started to pack up his things.

“Um… I think I have English next,” Ryo said. He looked at his schedule and then nodded. “Yep. English in about…five minutes or so. I should get going as well.”

“Okay. See you after school?” Cye asked.

“Yeah. We are going to Mia’s after all,” Ryo mentioned as he got up from his spot on the grass.

“That’s right. Forgot about that,” Cye said, hitting the side of his head.

“So, I’ll see you outside the campus at three.”

“See you there.”

Ryo waved to Natsumi and then walked off in the opposite direction toward the literature building.

“Who’s Mia?” Natsumi asked as she got up.

“She’s an old friend. We knew her since our teenage years. She’s cool. If you want, you can join us,” Cye suggested.

“I would like that,” Natsumi said with a smile.

“Great. I’ll meet you when you get out of your last class. We’ll take my car.”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.” Natsumi swung her backpack over her shoulder and the two of them headed over to their next building.

* * *

 

“I hope this will be enough food the boys,” Mia said to herself as she set the groceries down on the polished-wooden dining room table. “I know Kento’s stomach and I’m pretty sure this isn’t enough.” She laughed. She was about to go into the kitchen, when she heard a knock on the door. “Coming.” Mia opened the door and a shocked expression appeared on her face.

“Hi, Mia. Long time no see,” Hana smiled.

“Hana? Hi! This is such a surprise. Come in,” Mia said as she stepped aside to let in her friend.

“Thank you,” Hana entered Mia’s home and looked around. It hadn’t changed at all since the last time she was there.

“How have you been?” Mia asked as the two of them sat down on the couch.

“I’ve been okay,” Hana replied.

“How was your family doing?”

“Oh. They’re fine,” Hana looked down at her hands. A sad expression plagued her face.

“Are you okay?” Mia looked at Hana anxiously.

“I’m fine. I’m just tired is all,” Hana said as she smiled at Mia. “I traveled for a long time.”

“I’m sure you did, but hey, Cye and the others are coming over soon. You should stick around. I bet Cye will be surprised when he walks through that door and sees you here.” Mia winked at Hana and got up.

“So, everyone is still together?” Hana asked as she got up from her seat as well.

“Well, Rowen went to America for a scholarship program and Sage is in Osaka,” Mia explained as she took out food from the grocery bags.

“So, only Cye, Ryo and Kento are left?” Hana asked with disappointment in her voice.

“Pretty much,” Mia said with a sad smile. “It’s weird having them split up like that.”

“It is,” Hana said in agreement.

“Hey, why don’t you help me get things set up for when the boys come?” Mia suggested. She placed three big plastic bowls on the table and opened up the chip bags.

“Sure. I’d love to,” Hana said as she walked over to the set up.

* * *

 

Three-o-clock came around and Kento and Ryo were already waiting by the campus entrance. Cye and Natsumi walked over to them a couple of moments later, side by side.

“Natsumi is coming?” Kento asked in bewilderment.

“Yes, Kento. I invited her,” Cye said in aggravation. All the questions were starting to get to him.

“The more the merrier,” Ryo smiled as he nudged Kento in the arm.

“Let’s get going before Kento makes any more remarks,” Cye said and took Natsumi’s hand and led her to his car.

“We’ll meet you there, Cye,” Ryo called out.

“Okay,” Cye said as he helped Natsumi in the car.

Cye got into the car and strapped himself in. The car roared to life as Natsumi looked out the window and saw Ryo and Kento get into another car.

“Ryo doesn’t have a car?” Natsumi asked.

“Not yet. He usually rides with Kento,” Cye said as he backed out of the parking spot.

* * *

 

An hour passed until they got to the big house in the forest. Natsumi stood in front of the huge structure in front of her, looking it over.

“This place is huge,” she said in awe. “And she owns this whole thing?”

“Yeah, it’s even nicer inside,” Cye said as he got out of the car.

“Whose car is that?” Natsumi asked, pointing to a black Toyota that was parked behind Mia’s red jeep.

“Don’t know. Maybe Mia has someone over,” Cye answered.

“We are here!” Kento yelled as he slammed his car door.

“About time,” Cye smiled.

“Hey, we were right behind you!” Kento exclaimed.

“Let’s go in.” Cye grabbed Natsumi’s hand again and led her to the front door. The door opened and Mia stood in the doorway, wearing a light blue dress and her hair up in a ponytail.

“You know, I could hear Kento’s voice from inside the house,” she smiled.

“That’s because he has a big mouth,” Ryo laughed.

“Can I help it if I’m excited?” Kento asked.

“Mia, this is Natsumi. I invited her,” Cye said as he introduced his new friend.

“Oh. It’s nice to meet you, Natsumi,” Mia smiled. “Welcome to my home.”

“Same here,” Natsumi said shyly.

“Hey, Mia, whose car is that behind yours?” Cye asked as he pointed to the black vehicle.

A smile formed on Mia’s pink lips. “We have a special guest.”

The gang entered the house. The dining room table was moved into the living room where food was spread out.

“Food!” Kento shouted and raced toward the table, snatching up a handful of BBQ chips.

“Try to save some of that for other people, Kento,” Cye warned.

“Hey, Cye,” came a feminine voice from behind him.

Cye knew that voice all too well, that sweet voice that made his heart race. He turned his head and saw the same beautiful blue eyes he loved so much, staring at him. “H-Hana?” he asked flabbergasted. It felt like he couldn’t breathe, that time had stopped right then and there and it was only the two of them.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Hana. How’s it going?” Kento said before stuffing his face full of chips.

“Long time no see,” Hana smiled sweetly.

“When did you get back?” Cye asked as he closed the distance between them. He placed a hand on her cheek as if to see if she was real and in front of him.

“A couple of hours ago,” she answered, putting a hand on top of his.

“Really? You haven’t written to me or said anything.”

“Yes, I have. I wrote to you lots of times. Didn’t you get my letters?” Hana inquired.

“No, I didn’t. That’s weird,” Cye said.

“Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I’m here,” Hana smiled as she looked into the teal eyes she missed so much.

Cye turned his head and looked at Natsumi, who stood there in silence. She wasn’t looking at him, but the ground again. The awkwardness in the atmosphere slowly started to increase.

“Natsumi, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to be here,” Cye said apologetically.

“Who’s Natsumi?” Hana asked as she leaned over to look at the new girl in the room.

“She’s a friend of mine, but we’ll talk later okay, hun?” Cye asked, returning his attention to his love.

“Sure,” Hana shrugged.

“These chips are awesome!” Kento yelled as he stuffed his face with food. One bowl was already half empty as the food-lover made his way to the next one.

“Kento, how many times do I have to say it? Leave some for other people!” Cye ordered.

“You snooze, you lose.” Kento popped another chip in his mouth and grinned at Cye.

Cye grabbed the chip bowl and Kento tackled him to the ground, spilling the chips on the ground. Ryo laughed then looked Natsumi who was still staring at the ground, her hands fiddling about in front of her. He felt bad for her because he knew that she liked Cye very much— and to see his girlfriend suddenly show up— it wouldn’t surprise him if she just dashed out the door right that second. But she didn’t, she just stayed where she was. She suddenly smiled and looked at Hana.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hana,” Natsumi said with a small smile.

“Huh? Oh, same here,” Hana said with a big grin. “Thanks for watching Cye for me. I know he can be a handful.”

“He’s... one of a kind,” Natsumi nervously laughed.

“Hey, let’s the two of us sit on the couch and let the men duke it out over food,” Hana grinned.

“Sure. Sounds great.”

The two of them walked over to the couch and started talking to one another. Cye and Kento stopped at what they were doing and just stared at the two women.

“Wow. That’s something I didn’t expect,” Cye whispered as he yanked the empty bowl from Kento’s grip.

“You’re telling me,” Kento said as he stared at the two.

“I guess, she just figures that there is no way to change things. So, she is making the best of the moment as best she can,” Ryo said, walking up to his friends who were still displayed on the floor.

“That’s deep, Ryo,” Kento said as he got to his feet, dusting the crumbs off his pants.

“But, he’s right,” Cye agreed, getting up from the floor. “She’s shy and it seems like she doesn’t like conflict much. She tries to avoid it and move on. Not to mention you were the one who told her about Hana in the first place.”

“Yeah, but she’s probably hurting inside nonetheless,” Ryo added.

Cye didn’t say anything and started to clean up the chips that were on the floor from their little battle.

“What? Does Natsumi have a crush on Cye or something?” Kento asked looking at his friends confused.

“You really are slow, aren’t you?” Cye said. “And here I thought you were all knowledgeable about the whole guy-liking-the-girl thing.”

“Hey, I only realize some things,” Kento replied. He took a plastic cup and started to pour himself a drink to quench his thirst.

“Well, to answer your question, she does,” Cye retorted.

“That really sucks,” Kento said before taking a swig of his drink.

“Yeah, and you are to blame for most of it,” Cye said, looking at his friend with hard eyes.

“Hey, I’m sorry.”

“Well, what’s done is done.” Cye took the broken chips and dumped them out into the waste bin in the kitchen, closing the discussion for the night.

Around five, everyone started to head out. Natsumi rode home with Ryo and Kento while Cye and Hana were left alone. The two of them went into the forest and to the waterfall that Cye showed Hana less than a year ago.

“Wow. This place hasn’t changed a bit!” Hana said, taking in the scenery she missed so much. “It’s just as lovely as I remembered it.”

“I’m glad you still like it,” Cye smiled.

“Of course. You were the one who showed it to me. It’s my favorite place here,” Hana said as she twirled her body to face him.

Cye wrapped his arms around her body and kissed her lightly on the lips. “So, I see you have a car now.”

“Yeah. My Uncle got it for me when I graduated high school. He always treated me nicely,” Hana said.

“Did you fix everything with your relatives?” Cye inquired. The smile that once graced her features fell into a frown. Hana just stood there, not saying a word for a moment. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing,” Hana said as she averted her gaze.

“It’s something. I want to know what happened to you while you were there,” Cye said.

Hana’s shoulders started to shake as tears leaked from her eyes.

“Hana?” Cye asked with concern etched on his face.

“M-my family, abandoned me…” Hana stammered between sobs. “T-they tossed me out…”

“What?!” Cye exclaimed, feeling the rage within his body slowly build.

“You remember when Shijisha took over my body?” Hana asked, looking up at him with blood-shot eyes.

“Yeah. What about her?”

“When she left my body for good, she left some of her powers behind. I realized this while I was at my Uncle’s house. I found out that I could levitate things. It was pretty cool, but I wanted to keep it a secret. But, that didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted it.”

“I’m listening.”

“One night, my Aunt was discussing about how my parents were always careless. I was a rebel in my final years of middle school. My Aunt didn’t take a liking to it and totally ignored me. After my mother got sick and I kicked the rebel thing, she started talking to me again, but I think she thought it was only an act. When I told her about my family being killed, she said that she knew I was only bluffing, that I was the reason for their demise.

‘It’s true that it was my fault, but she said that they were idiots for not figuring out my act. It made me really mad. That’s when I realized that my power can increase because of my emotion. I blacked out and the next thing I knew, my Aunt’s dining room was destroyed. My Aunt totally went mad and told me that I was the spawn of Satan. She told me to get out of her house and to stay away from the family. That happened recently… and that’s why I came back here. My Uncle had no say in the matter. My Aunt, she was always selfish and she always got her way. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at her house.”

Hana sank to the ground and sobbed hard into her hands as Cye wrapped his arms around her.

“A family, who says that, shouldn’t be called a family. Family doesn’t say those kinds of things,” Cye whispered as he tried to comfort her.

“But it’s my fault,” she sobbed.

“It is not your fault. You didn’t know about your powers, it’s okay.”

Hana cried into Cye’s chest as he stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

“You have me now and I won’t banish you,” he said in a soothing tone. “I won’t leave.”

After hearing those words, it only made Hana cry harder, the mixed feelings her heart was experiencing at that moment was too much. The two of them stayed where they were until the sun finally set and the moon rose into the night’s sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cye goes to Hana's to discuss some things. At the same time, Hana is having trouble with her new abilities.

“Class, I will now hand you your results from yesterday’s quiz,” the professor announced.

Cye barely noticed his professor make the announcement or make his rounds about the classroom, distributing papers to his classmates. But then again, as the days went on, he noticed his studies, his classmates, and his professors less and less. Where his studies normally took up space in his head, Hana was now there, filling him with worry and concern. He never had seen her so upset that he couldn’t really do anything but comfort her. He couldn't imagine the turmoil she was dealing with after being shunned from her own family. All he could do was let her be for a bit and let time heal the wounds in her heart as much as possible.

“Cye Mouri, not very impressive. Please see me after class,” the professor said.

Cye looked down at his test and saw a C written in red pen in the corner. He gave a loud sigh and stuck it in his folder with the rest of his papers for that class. After closing the folder, Cye rested his head on his arms. It had been almost three weeks, and each paper he got back looked worse than the last. His homework assignments had corrections written all over them, and his last two quizzes had all C’s. Those past couple of weeks he only saw Hana sporadically. He would zone out while he sat at his desk at Mia’s, not focusing on the work in front of him. His eyes fell on the tan desktop. He knew he was in trouble with his classes, but at the moment, it seemed that his main priority was Hana.

Class ended, and Cye packed his things slowly. After all the students left the classroom, he went up to the professor.

“You wanted to see me?” he asked in a low voice. Exhaustion could be heard, as well, as he stood in front of his teacher. Tired and frustrated was what Cye was feeling. He knew what his professor was going to say, and he didn’t really want to hear it.

“Cye, your work lately has been declining. Your grades that you are getting on assignments are horrible. Is there anything wrong?” the professor asked.

“I’m just… having some family issues right now. It’s hard to concentrate when so much is going on right now. I’m terribly sorry.”

“I understand. I do hope though, that the problems will cease and that you will be back on top again.”

“Yes, sir.”

The professor smiled and patted Cye on the shoulder. “You are a good student, Cye. I hate to see the best fall.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Cye left the classroom and walked slowly down the hall. The teachers expected too much. The way things were going at the moment, what was there that he could do? What would he do?

“Cye?” a soft voice asked from behind him.

“Huh?” Cye turned around and saw Natsumi standing there with her books to her chest. “Oh, hi, Natsumi,” Cye said.

“You haven’t been yourself lately. Is anything wrong?” Worry was etched on her features as she looked at the tired man in front of her.

“No.” He paused for a moment. “Well... it’s Hana.”

“Did she… break up with you?”

“What? Oh, no. Nothing like that. Hana is just going through some tough times.”

“Oh… I see…”

“I don’t know what to do for her. I love her so much, and I hate seeing her the way she is.” Cye clenched his right fist and shook it with anger.

“Well, just being there for her is the best thing you can do.”

“I know. I just want to do so much more for her.” A pained expression formed on his features as he closed his eyes tightly.

Natsumi didn’t say anything and just stood there. She didn’t know what else to tell him.

“I’m sorry, Natsumi. I shouldn’t be telling you these things.” He looked at the girl in front of him apologetically.

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m happy that you telling me this.”

“You are?”

“Yes. I like you very much, Cye. I don’t want to see you down.”

Cye smiled weakly and patted Natsumi’s head. “Thank you, Natsumi. You are a good friend. I’ll see you later.” Cye continued walking down the hallway, leaving Natsumi standing where she was.

“I’m… just a friend…” Natsumi said to herself. She smiled meekly, but her heart ached.

* * *

Cye got outside into the bright sunlight and wandered over to the tree where he usually sat under. He put his heavy bag down and just lay on the grass, looking up into the cloudless sky. It was such a beautiful, cloud free day. Everyone was feeling happy and full of energy. However, the energy he was feeling wasn’t so bright and carefree. Cye closed his eyes and felt the cool breeze on his face.

**_“One night, my Uncle and my Aunt were discussing about how my parents were always careless. It made me really mad. That’s when I realized that I could destroy things around me, just because of my emotion. My Aunt’s dining room was destroyed because of me. My Aunt totally went mad and told me that I was the spawn of Satan. She told me to get out of her house and to stay away from their family. That happened recently… that’s why I came back here.”_ **

**_Why? Why must Hana face such horrible events in her life? Why must she go through so much pain and sorrow? What’s worse is that I can’t do anything for her. I’m useless..._ **

**_“It’s because of this new power that my life has turned for the worse...” Hana sobbed._ **  
**_Why did Shijisha leave some of her power behind? Was it to punish Hana for destroying her plans of world domination? Was that it? Why…_ **

**_“Cye? CYE!”_ **

“Huh? Wha?” Cye opened his eyes and blinked. After his vision came into focus, he could see Kento leaning towards him. His friend’s eyes had a mixture of curiosity and worry.

“Dude, are you okay?” Kento asked.

“Yeah. Why?” Cye asked as he sat up.

“You were sweating up a storm. Not to mention you were talking in your sleep.”

“I was?” Cye felt his shirt and realized that the collar was wet. “Must have had… a bad dream.”

“So, Hana has powers now?” Ryo asked, who was leaning against the tree, his hands in his jean pockets. He looked at Cye with a look of concern and seriousness. It was a look that showed up when something usually happened in battle, a look Cye knew too well.

“Yeah…” Cye said.

“I had no idea that her family disowned her. What a bunch of creeps,” Kento said.

“We can’t do anything about that now. What we can do for her is change the outlook on things,” Ryo said softly.

“How?” Cye asked. “How can we change something that we know can’t be undone?” Frustration was starting to rise.

“She has this new power. She doesn’t know how to channel it, let alone control it when it gets out of control. What needs to be done is teaching her how to channel her powers. Make them useful to her instead of making them destroy her,” Ryo answered calmly.

“That’s what you can do for her, Cye. Teach her how to use her powers,” Kento said as he placed a hand on Cye’s shoulder.

“I guess,” Cye said, looking at his two warrior friends.

“Go to her after school and suggest it. If she declines, force it on her,” Kento said loudly, pounding his fist into his hand.

“No, Kento. Force will just make it worse. Cye needs to do it gently and calmly,” Ryo said with a firm voice.

“I’ll do it. I’ll go to her after school and set things right. I can’t just sit here and expect things to magically make everything right in the world. I have to be by her side and make sure everything goes just the way she wants it,” Cye said.

“That’s the spirit, buddy!” Kento said and slapped Cye on the back.

Cye coughed from the slap and got up. “I don’t have any more classes for the day. I’m heading over now.”

“Good luck, Cye,” Ryo said.

Cye nodded and headed for his car. Ryo and Kento watched as he drove off and out of sight.

“Cye is a good guy, caring so much for his girl,” Kento said.

Ryo didn’t say anything. He simply stared out into the horizon.

* * *

Cye raced to Hana’s place as fast as he could. Once he was there, he stopped at Hana’s apartment door. He was here once before, when Hana let him in and he spent the night. Cye knocked on the door lightly. The door opened with Hana standing before him in a pink tank top and black sport shorts.

“Cye? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at school?” she asked in a surprised voice.

Cye grabbed her by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Hana, listen to me and listen to me carefully. The powers you possess aren’t bad. You just need to learn how to channel them correctly. You can use your powers for the right things. Just like me and my armor,” Cye said. “Hana, you are my world and I hate seeing you so depressed. We can turn this around.”

“Come inside, Cye,” Hana said and moved back to give him some space. Cye entered the apartment and sat down in the same armchair he sat when he first visited. Hana went into the kitchen and got two cans of Coke out of the fridge. She offered him one and sat down on the love seat next to him. “Let’s just say we do get these powers figured out and controlled. Then what? Will my family welcome me back with open arms and smiles?” Her voice was cold and harsh. Cye looked at her with incredulous eyes. He never heard her talk to him in that tone before. Hana glanced over in Cye’s direction and smiled briefly. “Come on, Cye. You know my past and how I was. I wasn’t such a sweet, innocent girl. There’s no way I can be all smiles right now. I have no one in my life.”

He got up from his seat and sat down next to Hana on the couch. He wrapped his arms around Hana’s body, holding her close. “I know, but you aren’t alone. I’ll always be here for you, and I will do whatever it takes to make you smile again,” Cye whispered.

Hana sighed and rested her elbows on her legs. “Let’s be realistic for a moment. I’m cursed with a power that could destroy lives. I already destroyed mine in less than a year.”

“Yes, but that’s why we need to work on controlling it and not make it such a burden on you. Like I said, we can turn this around. Power isn’t bad. It’s how you use it that determines if it’s good or evil. Hana, did I ever tell you about the armors the five of us possess?”

“I know about the armors, Cye. I’ve seen them with my own eyes.” Hana stated.

“Yes, but they weren’t made for defending the good. They were originally from evil. Do you remember the events that happened four years ago?”

Hana looked at her hands and thought about the past four years. It was a time when she was wild and didn’t care about consequences, the time that made her mother sick and then hospitalized due to Hana’s careless actions. However, she did remember the sky being weird and things happening that didn’t make any sense. The events on the TV were about explosions in certain parts of Japan and strange beings being sighted on the roads. She closed her eyes and remembered a time when she was trapped with a whole bunch of people in a small room. The room was dark, except for a couple of candles that were lit. No one seemed to know what was going on, but the fears on their faces were clear. Something was out to get them, something terrible. The rest was a blur to her after that. She remembered waking up in her bedroom and going on with her life. She opened her eyes and looked at Cye. “You mean the time when unexplained events happened?”

“Yes. We were fighting a horrible entity named Talpa. He was from the Netherworld. He was a very powerful source. Many years ago, before our fight with him, he tried to take over the human world. By that time, a being called The Ancient One fought him bravely. He was successful and banished Talpa to the Netherworld. The only thing that was left was his armor. The Ancient One divided the armor into nine. You know about our armors, but there were four others that were worn by the Warlords. Eventually they became our allies, but that’s not the point. The armors that we bear were from evil, but because of the virtues we have, we use them for good. You can too, Hana. You can use your power to do good in the world.”

She sat there looking at the floor while everything sank in. She never heard of how those armors came to be. “So, this Talpa being was responsible for all the destruction and chaos?”

“Yes, but only we knew about him. I wouldn’t have expected you to know about him.” Cye rested a hand on her shoulder.

Silence overtook the area as the two of them sat still, not looking at one another. Hana’s sight was fixated on her kitchen as she pondered. Will training be the answer to all her power problems? Or would the outcome stay the same and she’s back to destroying herself and the people around her? Her eyes wandered over to the teapot clock on the wall. It was six-o-clock on the dot. A noise emanated from her mid-section, which made her snap out of her stupor.

“I’m hungry. Do you want me to make us some chicken while we talk things over?” she asked as she looked at Cye.

“That would be great,” Cye smiled.

Hana got up from her spot and headed for the kitchen. Cye leaned back and stretched his arms out. “You and Natsumi seemed to be getting along well at the gathering we had weeks ago,” Cye mentioned as he watched her prepare dinner.

“Yeah. She seems like a nice girl. You go to school with her?” she asked as she turned the water on.

“Yeah. We don’t have any classes together, but I do see her a lot in the hallways.”

“She seems to like you.”

“Yes, she does,” Cye said.

“She seemed upset when she saw me for the first time.”

“Well... she does have a crush on me.” Cye watched as Hana went back and forth from fridge to stove. It was as if nothing was said and she was just going on her way.

“I kind of figured that,” Hana said. She turned the chicken over and turned to the broccoli that was boiling in a medium sized pot. “I could tell… just by her reactions toward you and her facial expressions toward me. I’m a girl, Cye. We notice these things.” Hana turned her head and gave Cye a small smile.

Cye let out a soft sigh after hearing her response. “Anyway, it seems like she doesn’t have many friends. She joins us at lunch from time to time but that’s it. That’s why I invited her over to Mia’s.”

Hana turned the chicken in the pan slowly. Her eyes seemed focused on the marinated bird as it sizzled. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“I just thought it was nice seeing her talking to another girl,” Cye shrugged. “Are you jealous?”

“Me? Why would I be jealous?” Hana opened the fridge and took out two carrots. Cye watched as she raced over to rinse them out. “She has a crush on you and that’s fine. I’m sure a lot of girls have crushes on you.” She placed the carrots on the cutting board and started chopping them up.

Cye smiled, got up, and walked over to his girlfriend, who was cutting the carrot pieces a bit too big. “They are not even,” he said.

She stopped and looked down at the uneven pieces of carrot. “I-I knew that. I just wasn’t sure if you wanted them uneven or not…”

“You are jealous. Admit it.”

“I am not admitting anything. Now go and sit down. I don’t like it when people hover over me as I cook. It’s too nerve wracking.” Hana glanced over and saw Cye take a seat at the wooden kitchen table. It was true that she was a little jealous. She had been away from him for so long. She was sure there were tons of ladies at his school that were eyeing him as he walked. The uneven carrot pieces fell into the boiling water. She then took the chicken and placed it nicely on two plastic white plates. “I’m sorry I don’t have fancy plates.”

“It’s fine,” Cye said. “I don’t really care. If they can hold food, then it’s fine with me.”

Hana smiled a little and got the rest of the meal together. They spent a cozy evening talking small talk and enjoying their meal. Cye told her about his grades at school and how almost every teacher was asking him what was wrong. Concern masked Hana’s features as she heard the bad news. She knew that school was important to Cye because he wanted to become a marine biologist. It would be bad if he failed the semester because of her mistakes.

“I know what you are saying, Hana, but if something is happening to you, then of course I’m going to worry,” Cye said between bites. “School is important to me, but so are you.”

“What if you fail this semester? It’ll put you behind your goal,” Hana rebuked.

Cye took a swig of his water and placed the cup down gently. “If there was an attack tomorrow, then I would have to go and fight. There will be no second thought if I should attend school the next day. Education will always be there. Sometimes more important things come first.”

“If I said I was okay, would you stop worrying about me and focus?”

“Prove it to me first.”

Hana finished the last bit of food on her plate. “Okay. I’ll take the challenge and learn how to control this power I have within me. However, you must promise me that you’ll do good in school.”

Cye smiled and kissed Hana on her cheek before getting up with his empty plate. “Okay. It’s a deal. Starting tomorrow we’ll go over to Mia’s and see what she has to say. I would like to also know if it’s possible for spirits to leave behind a piece of themselves.”

Hana took the plate from Cye and smiled. “I can’t wait.”

She placed the dirty dishes into the sink and turned the water on. “Are you staying the night?”

“Do you want me to?” Cye asked.

“I would like the company. It gets lonely in here sometimes.”

“Then yes, I would love to spend the night with you.” He took his shirt off, exposing his well-toned torso. He waltzed over and planted a kiss on the side of her mouth before heading toward the bathroom.

Hana smiled to herself as she continued to wash the dishes. She heard the bathroom door close, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She inhaled through her nose as she heard her Aunt’s voice, yelling at her in her head. An image of her Aunt’s dining room and the look of disgust on her family’s faces entered her mind. The next thing she knew, she heard something loud break. Her eyes flew open and she looked down at her hands. Blood was dripping from a large slit in the middle of her left hand. To her right, she saw pieces of one of her cups lying in the bottom of the sink.

“Hana, I heard something break. Are you okay?” Cye asked as he ran out of the bathroom. He stopped at her side and saw the bloody mess before him. It looked like the sink was filled with tomato soup. “What happened?” He took her hand into his and got some paper towels to soak up the blood.

“I-I don’t know. I was just standing here, and the next thing I knew, I heard my Aunt’s voice. Then I saw images of the dining room and my family. I opened my eyes and I saw the blood,” Hana explained with fear in her voice. “What is happening?”

Cye noticed that Hana’s body was shaking as he wrapped the paper towel around her hand. “Don’t think about what happened. It triggers emotions, and that’s what starts off the power. Like you said, you got really angry and you destroyed that dining room. Don’t get emotional or try not to at least.” She nodded as he led her into the bathroom. “Do you have any band-aids?”

“I don’t think so. Try the second cabinet down.”

Cye found a box with only two left. “I guess I’ll use these to tape each side of the paper towel. They are way too small to cover the whole cut.”

“It’s fine, Cye. Whatever works.”

After the cut was tended to, the two of them went into the bedroom. “Let’s get some sleep. It’s been a busy day, and I’m sure you are exhausted.” Cye removed his jeans, leaving him only in his blue boxers. He helped Hana get dressed for bed, and the two of them slipped comfortably into bed. He placed his hand on her cheek and stroked her face with his fingers. Her eyelids were heavy, and thus much-needed sleep came quick. She drifted off to sleep with the man she loved, protecting her from harm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana's training begins along with a little bonding.

 

Sunlight peeked through the curtains in the room. Rays of light landed softly on Cye’s features. Cye slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He forgot that he slept over at Hana’s place. He sat up and yawned then looked to his right to see if Hana was still asleep. As he turned his head, he realized that the spot next to him was empty. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and walked out of the room. Cye entered the living room and saw Hana sitting on the couch. She had a book in her left hand while her feet were propped on the wooden coffee table. Her face was expressionless while her mind toured the worlds of her book. Soft creaking noises were heard as Cye made his way to his girlfriend. Hana looked up and smiled as she saw Cye approach her.

“Morning, Cye,” she said softly.

“Morning, beautiful,” he said with a smile. He planted a small kiss on her lips then sat down next to her on the couch. “How’s your hand doing? Can I see it?” Hana closed her book and showed Cye her injured hand. After the bandage was removed, Cye could see that the wound was healing slowly. “It’s going to take a couple of days for it to fully heal.”

“I kind of figured that. The cut was a clean one.”

“When we go to Mia’s, we’ll see if she has a first aid kit. I’m sure she does by now, with us being at her house most of the time and the battles we’ve faced.”

Hana took the old bandage and reapplied it back on her hand. “I want to start my training as soon as possible.” She looked at Cye with determined eyes.

Cye looked down at her and saw that she was dressed in workout pants and shirt. Her determined eyes told him that she was really eager and serious.

“But what about your hand?” Cye asked. “You have to let it heal.”

“My hand is fine. It’s just a scratch,” Hana said as she gently stroked the wound with her opposite hand.

“You just said that it was a clean cut. It’s more than just a mere scratch.”

With a loud sigh, Hana got up from the couch and went into the kitchen. “If you don’t want to train with me, I understand.” She got a water bottle out of the fridge and headed for the door.

“Hana, wait,” Cye sighed and got up from his seat. Once she had her mind set on something, it was tough to talk her out of it. Hana stopped at the door and turned to Cye. Frustration was well-written on her face. He walked over to Hana and placed both hands on her small shoulders. “Calm down and breathe.”

“What?” Hana asked confusingly.

“I don’t want you to get upset and then set off your powers again like you did last night. Understand?” He squeezed her shoulders gently and looked into her blue eyes. “If you really want to train that badly, then we’ll train. I just don’t want your wound to get worse. We’ll take things slow at first. I also don’t want you to overexert yourself.”

“I understand that,” she said. “I made up my mind last night that I wasn’t going to wait until something else happens. Next time I might not be so lucky. I want to get this power under control so I can live a somewhat normal life.”

Cye wrapped his arms around Hana’s small frame and hugged her. “I understand. Let me just grab my shirt and we’ll go.” Hana watched as Cye raced into the bedroom and came back fully clothed. “We’ll stop at Mia’s first to see if she has anything for your cut. Hopefully the others will be there so we can talk about this. Maybe they will have some suggestions on your training.”

* * *

The two of them got into Cye’s car and drove off to Mia’s house. The ride there was quiet as Cye drove along the winding roads. Hana watched as the trees passed them from out her window. The next chapter of her life started now. She pondered if she was really ready for all of this. All that she had been through these past few years of her life, nothing ever good came to her. Would this time be different for her? She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the car stop. She looked over and saw the front of Mia’s house.

“You were awfully quiet,” Cye mentioned as he got out of the car. “Anything wrong?”

Hana followed suit and shook her head. “No. I was just thinking. I’m a little scared.”

Cye went around the car and walked over to her. He placed a hand on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. Her eyes started to water as she looked up at him. “Why are you scared, Hana? Tell me.”

Hana wiped her eyes with her good hand. “What if this training doesn’t do anything? What if I fail? Cye, these past few years have been horrible for me. Nothing good came out of them. What if this time is no different?” She stared at the ground as she felt more tears well up in her eyes.

Cye took his thumb and pointer finger and lifted her chin up so she could see him. “You met me, didn’t you? Isn’t that something good?” Hana nodded slowly, tears trickling down her now red cheeks. “I will make sure this works out for you. I’m here for you, Hana. I’m not going anywhere.” He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Come on. Let’s go inside so we can talk to Mia and figure out what we can do.” He took Hana’s good hand in his and led her to the front door. He knocked on it lightly a couple of times and waited.

The door opened to reveal Mia in one of her colorful sundresses. “Hello, guys. I was just thinking about you two,” Mia said with a smile. “Come in.” She stepped aside as Cye and Hana entered her big house. There were plenty of rooms in which Cye and the others occupied most of the time. The house was definitely way too big for just one person to be living in alone. “Ryo and Kento are in the dining room.”

“Good. I was hoping they would be here. Hey, Mia, do you have any first aid kits?” Cye asked. “Hana had a little accident last night and cut her hand pretty badly. She didn’t have many bandages at her place. Think you could help us out?”

“Yeah, I have some kits in the bathroom. Since you boys are always out getting into trouble, I thought it would be best to keep some here.” Mia winked at the two of them and headed toward the bathroom.

The two of them headed for the dining room where they could hear Kento talking loudly. Cye could always tell when that man was in the room. Their two friends were sitting across from each other at the dining room table. Kento had a couple of empty plates next to him while Ryo was slowly eating a cheese sandwich.

Kento paused when he saw his buddy and immediately jumped out of his seat. “Cye, my man!” He tackled Cye to the point where he almost fell backwards.

“Careful, Kento,” Cye managed to say. His Hardrock friend was much heavier than he was.

“How are you doing, Hana?” Kento asked as he got off Cye. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hana said with a small smile. “How you are doing, Kento?”

“Can’t complain.” He stretched his arms over his head and grinned. “As long as I am alive and kicking, right?”

“Right,” she said. He was always so optimistic and full of positive energy. Even in battle she was told that he was the one who always rooted everyone on.

“Hey, Cye, Hana,” Ryo said from his seat. “What brings you two here?” Ryo looked at Cye as his friend joined him at the table.

“We are here for some suggestions on how Hana should start her training,” Cye said as he sat next to Kento. “I brought it up and she thought it was a good idea. Right?” He looked at Hana, who just nodded.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Kento said after taking a swig of his water. “This will be good for you, Hana.”

“I hope so,” she said softly. “After all that’s happened to me, I’ve been having doubts.”

“Is that why you were crying?” Kento asked. Hana’s head shot in his direction, surprise on her face. “Hey now. I’m not that oblivious all the time. I could tell you were crying before you got here.”

Hana blushed and shifted her weight in her seat. “Yes, that was the reason. I told Cye that these past few years have been nothing but bad luck. What are the chances of this time being any different?” She looked at her friends that surrounded her. “I lost everything that I had…”

Ryo placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. “No, Hana. That’s not true at all. You have Cye and the rest of us. You are not alone. You won’t know until you try, yes?” Ryo gave Hana a soft smile. Hana blushed as she saw the smile form on his lips. It was the first time she saw him smile like that. The smile seemed to calm her nerves a bit.

Ryo turned his attention to Cye, his face serious. “What I suggest is meditation. It’s good for the body and the soul. It’ll be a good start for her.”

Hana looked at Ryo and shook her head. “I’m bad at that type of stuff. There is no way my mind can be clear,” she said. “Even my mother said it was impossible.” A hint of sadness flowed through her at the mention of the mother.

“It’s not an easy task, but you’ll get the hang of it,” Cye said. “I think it’s a good start, too.” He looked at Hana with an encouraging smile. “This is what you need. Your body and the power need to become one. Once that happens, I’m sure you will be able to control it and use it only when you want to.”

“You can do it, Hana,” Kento said with a wide grin on his face. “If you need help, I’m here, too.”

Hana smiled at her friends. “Okay. I’ll try.”

Mia entered the room holding some gauze and what looked like an ace bandage. “This is all I could find. I’m afraid you boys used up most of the stuff in the kits,” Mia said apologetically. “I’m sure this will do. I have more gauze just in case the wound opens up and starts bleeding again.”

“Thanks a lot, Mia,” Hana said as she got up from her seat. She walked over to where Mia was standing and took the gauze in her right hand. Mia applied the ace bandage tightly around Hana’s hand.

“How is it?” Mia asked. She watched as Hana clenched and unclenched her hand.

“Perfect. Not too tight but not too loose. Thanks.” Hana smiled warmly at Mia then looked at Cye. “Let’s go start this training.”

* * *

Hana followed Cye through the thick trees and brush. The air was cool and crisp as the two of them walked to their destination. She saw the tunnel of rocks not too far ahead of them, and she knew exactly where they were going. A year ago, Cye took her to a special place. They walked under the rock tunnel and stopped short just before a pond. The pond wasn’t too big, and there was a small waterfall off to the side. She looked around at the scenery; it was just as she remembered it.

“This place is quiet,” Cye said. He walked over to where the big rocks were. “That’s why I chose this place.” He sat down on a rock and motioned Hana to his side. She slowly walked over and sat on the rock next to his. “Close your eyes and try to clear your mind.”

“You know this is impossible,” Hana said in a sour voice. Cye raised an eyebrow at her response. “But I did say I would try.” She closed her eyes just as she was told to do. She could hear the water from the waterfall running smoothly. Birds could be heard chirping nearby. Was she supposed to feel any different while doing this? She knew the power was deep inside her body, but how would she know if it became one with her? The image of her aunt came into view behind her eyelids. She could hear her aunt scold her for what she had done.

Cye opened one eye when he felt Hana move beside him. He quickly opened the other when he realized that the rock beneath her was crumbling. “Hana, open your eyes!” he demanded.

Both eyes opened as she looked at Cye in confusion. “What’s going on?” The rock collapsed from under her just before Cye could speak. Her body went with the rubble to the ground. She looked up at Cye with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he jumped from his rock to the ground next to her. He held out his hand and helped her up.

“What just happened?” Hana brushed the dust and rock off of her. She looked at the mess that lay before them.

“What were you thinking about? Did you clear your mind like I told you to?” He looked at her, waiting for a response.

“I… I was listening to my surroundings. Then I started to question some things. My aunt came into view and…” Cye placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. “I used it again, didn’t I?”

“You have got to stop thinking about your family. I know it’s hard, but it seems like every time you do, your power surfaces.” He took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “It’s going to be hard for the next couple of weeks, but I do know that you can do it. Have faith in yourself. I do.”

Hana hugged him with all her might. Faith never seemed to be an ally for her. Whenever she tried to have confidence in herself, things usually went wrong. So she tossed it aside from her mind. She broke the embrace and walked over to the edge of the water. “I love it here.”  
Cye smiled and joined her at her side. “Yeah. It’s very peaceful here.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it. “It’ll be a good training ground for you.”

“Can we stop the meditation for now?” Hana asked with a pleading look on her face. “Can’t we try something else for today?”

“I suppose…” Cye looked around the area, trying to find something they could use. “I guess we can see what you can do with your power. Just don’t go overboard. I need an idea of what we are working with.”

Hana walked over to where the remains of her rock were. “Besides me destroying things?” She picked up a small rock from the ground. She studied the rock as if it were a foreign object. Warmth encased her hand suddenly. Her eyes widened as she saw purple aurora surround the rock. The rock moved and then lifted slightly out of her hand. She could feel her heart start to beat faster in her chest. Cye walked over and stared at the floating rock before him. She suddenly felt her legs give way from under her. The faint sound of Cye calling out to her and the surroundings becoming blurry was all she could see or hear.

He caught her just before she hit the ground. Her complexion had become pale, and her hands were clammy. “Hana? Hana, can you hear me?” Cye asked nervously. There was no answer coming from the unconscious woman in his arms. He got up and took her over to the water. Collecting some of the cold liquid in his hands, he dropped a few drops on her face. After the third time, she came to. “Are you okay?” He sat her up slowly and checked her forehead.

“Yeah… I just felt really weak all of a sudden,” Hana said softly. “Next thing I knew, I was falling.” She took her hand and wiped the water off her face.

“How do you feel now?” Cye asked. “Do you feel sick? Tired?”

“Well, besides weak, I do feel tired,” Hana said. “I’m okay now, though.” She used her hands to slowly get up on her feet. “I think I’m done for today.”

“Yes, I agree. Let’s get you home.” Cye scooped Hana up into his arms. “I’ll carry you to the car.”

“Sounds good to me.” Hana closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep as Cye made his way back to the car.

* * *

When they got back to Hana’s place, he carried her to the bedroom. As he entered the room, Hana tapped on his shoulder. “Oh, you’re awake.”

“Yeah. That nap was great. I want to hit the showers first before bed,” Hana said. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah. It’s fine,” Cye said. He let her down and turned on the bedroom light. “I’ll be here when you are done.”

“You can join me if you’d like,” Hana said with a smile. “We are both dirty from being outside.” Hana winked and walked out of the room, leaving Cye there alone. Hana closed the door to the bathroom and took off her clothes. She turned the shower knobs to the right temperature of the water and then got in. She closed her eyes as the warm water hit her. As the steam enveloped her body, the tension from within seemed to evaporate into the air. She heard the bathroom door open just as she reached for the soap. She looked to her side and saw a figure heading her way through the shower curtain.

“Cye?” she asked as she poked her head out of the shower. She blushed as she saw him standing before her, completely naked.

“I think I’ll take that offer,” he said with a smile.

“Well, don’t keep me waiting.” she said in a seductive voice. “Come in.”

Cye smiled wickedly and walked slowly towards the shower. Once he was in arm's reach, Hana grabbed Cye’s arm and pulled him in with her. The warm water ran down Cye’s well-built body, making him sigh at the refreshment.

“It’s been a long time since we did this,” Hana said. “Too long, if you ask me.” She took a finger and made a tiny circle on his chest. The feel of his skin made her want him more.

“Yeah. It has been a long time,” Cye said huskily. Hana wrapped her arms around Cye’s waist and hugged him tightly. Cye jumped a little when he felt her rub her body against his. “You waste no time, do you?” Cye laughed. He moved Hana’s body up against the cool-tiled wall, where he captured her lips in a deep kiss. Hana relaxed her body and wrapped her arms around Cye’s neck to deepen the kiss. She could feel Cye move his hands around her body, sending jolts of electricity through her. Hana broke the kiss and let out a low groan when she felt Cye enter a finger into her. Her whole body went weak to the point where she had to hold onto Cye for support. Cye moved down and took her left breast into his mouth. Hana grabbed onto Cye tightly as she moaned louder.

“You like it, I take it,” Cye smiled as he looked into her blue eyes. He continued to move his finger, trying to find the right spot within her.

“Whatever… gave you…that idea?” Hana panted. The room felt like a sauna, and the steam wasn’t helping the situation.

“You are so hot,” Cye said softly. He bent down and captured her lips once more into a soaring kiss.

Breaking the kiss, Hana smiled at the man in front of her. “I’m not the only one who’s hot around here.”

Cye grinned and turned off the water. Hana looked up at him in confusion when he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of shower.

“What are you doing?” Hana asked as she grabbed her towel from the hook on the wall.

“We should go somewhere with more… room,” Cye said as he led her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

Hana got onto the bed and lay on her back as he turned off the light. She tossed her unused towel to the floor as Cye moved on top of her and captured her lips again. Their wet bodies pressed tightly against one another, making the room even hotter than it was.

“Touch me, Cye,” Hana said huskily. Cye smiled sweetly at her as he descended down to her torso. He kissed around each breast before taking one of them into his mouth. She gasped then moaned softly as she moved her hands above her head. He took the other breast into his mouth and moved his tongue around her nipple, which made her cry out louder in pleasure. The tingling sensation he was creating was unbearable.

“You are so beautiful,” he said as he moved down her body. He took his tongue and licked up the juices that were soaking her womanhood. She grabbed his head and cried out as he continued to lick her sweet spot. Her entire body started to jerk, making her cry out his name. He smiled as he inserted his tongue into her and started moving in and out in a slow pace.

“Cye…don’t stop… ” Hana moaned. Her entire body was on fire as he reached up and grabbed her right breast and started to caress it. “Faster, Cye… please…”

Obeying her command, he picked up his pace. His tongue licked every inch of her until her juices poured out like a running river. Hana’s body relaxed as she tried to catch her breath.

“That was fast,” Cye said. He moved up to where he could see her face. He moved a strand of hair from out of her eyes.

“Sorry…” Hana panted. “I just… couldn’t hold it.” She wiped her brow with her hand and gave Cye a sympathy smile.

“It’s okay.” Cye said as he caressed her cheek. “You have a condom?”

“Yeah. Second drawer,” Hana pointed. Her breathing started to slow while Cye reached for the drawer. He found a small stash in the far corner. He grabbed one and slid it on. “I would love the day when we don’t have to use those,” Hana said.

Cye blushed then inserted himself into her. Hana gasped and closed her eyes tightly as Cye moved slowly within her depths. “You’re… so tight.” He closed his eyes as she started to move with him. After a year of being apart, he missed being one with her. She smiled then moaned softly as he picked up his pace. Sweat started to drip from his face as he continued to move.

“Cye…”

Cye moaned loudly while he felt Hana’s walls grab him tightly. The smacking of their body got louder as he moved faster. He could feel his end nearing as he grabbed her hips and slammed harder into her.

“I’m close…” Hana moaned as she gripped the bed sheets in her fists.

“So am I…” Cye responded. He could feel his balls tighten with every thrust he made. She moved her hips with his as her moans got louder. Hana’s walls clamped tightly around him as her body started to shake. She cried out in pleasure as she let herself go. Cye moaned while he released himself, as well. He moved to the side of her then collapsed onto the bed. Hana smiled and draped her arm around Cye’s torso.

“That was wonderful,” she whispered, nuzzling her head against his chest.

“Yes, it was.” Cye smiled and stroked her damp head. “It really has been way too long, but I’m glad you are back in my life, Hana.”

Hana nodded and cuddled closer to him. “I’m glad, too, Cye.” She sighed as her heart returned to its normal pace. Her mind went blank as sleep soon consumed her, and nothing but warmth remained.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new entity appears and has her sights on Natsumi.

Dimly lit candles filled the room with a soft glow. The air was cold and damp. The old and worn out curtains covered the only window in the room. Dust blanketed the antique objects on the dresser. A figure sat on the bed in the shadows. Her breathing was slow and shallow as she closed her eyes. Her long, dark hair framed her small face as she lifted her head up. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing her dark red irises. A scowl formed on her tiny lips as she stared across the room.

“The Ronin Warriors,” she said quietly. The words were covered in venom. Her fists tightened on her lap with anger. “You will pay for what you did to my father.” The images played in her mind like a short movie. During Cye’s battle with Akui, she watched helplessly at the iron door. The pain she felt when she saw her father get blasted into nothing but dust made her blood boil. Back then she couldn’t do anything to avenge her father’s death.

Weakly getting up from the bed, she slowly walked over to the window. She pushed the curtains back, the tiny lights of the city coming into her view. “Shijisha had failed in the attempt to bring Cye of Torrent over to our side. That Hana girl is the reason behind all this. She was in the way, and for that, my father paid the price. Cye of Torrent won’t get off so easily either, for he is the man behind my father’s death. I will get my revenge and obtain all five armors and carry out my father’s legacy.” Her hand gripped the curtain tightly as she fell to her knees, her other hand clenched at her chest. A set of coughs escaped her mouth as she tried to compose herself once again. “I’m still too weak… I don’t have the strength to carry out this mission alone…” She looked out the window once more before closing the curtains.

* * *

Tiny rocks surrounded with purple aurora circled Hana’s stilled form. She sat with her legs crossed and her hands on her lap. Her eyes were closed as she focused her energy onto the floating objects. The warmth of her power surrounded her every being. The faint sound of the waterfall could be heard behind her, as well as some birds singing in the tree. It had been four weeks since she started her power training. The days of fainting because she used too much energy decreased with time. While she was alone, she would try to move things around in her house. At first she broke countless objects, but now she could move things with somewhat ease.

She opened her eyes, and the rocks fell to the ground. Cye sat across from her with a smile plastered on his face. Hana took in a deep breath through her nose and out through her mouth. “What’s my time?”

Cye chuckled and checked his watch. “You’ve been at it for thirty minutes.” He stood up and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “This has been the longest you’ve gone without getting tired.”

Hana wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked up at Cye, the feeling of success swelled up inside her. “That’s good to hear. If I keep this up, I’ll be able to go on for hours.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but you would be able to use your power without fainting.” Cye helped Hana to her feet. “Let’s try some object moving to see if we should move on to the next step.”

She looked at him with a confused look on her face. “What next step?” There possibly couldn’t be another training session after this. She was pretty good at meditation by now, and her levitation skills had improved. What did Cye have in store for her?

“Hana, you need to control your power when you are upset. So far you have it down for when you are calm and collected.” Cye’s expression hardened as he placed both hands on her shoulders. “When you are angry, your power gets the better of you. If you don’t learn to hold back when you are upset, it could be very damaging.”

The thought of her aunt’s dining room made a shiver go down her spine. Cye was one hundred percent right. What if she was in a public place and something or someone got her so angry that her power blows up an entire building? Fear struck her as she began to think of all the horrible possibilities. Could she destroy buildings? What if she killed innocent people?

“Hana?” Cye asked as he saw her face drop and tears started to brim her eyes. “Hana, what is wrong?”

“What if I destroy buildings and people?” Hana said as she looked at Cye in horror. “I don’t want that to happen…” She wrapped her arms around her body. “What if I can’t control my anger? What if I fail?”

“That’s why we are going to train, Hana. We are going to go somewhere else for this though. I don’t want this place to get ruined.” He hugged Hana tightly with his strong arms. He knew for a fact that the task ahead wouldn’t be an easy one. He knew she had a fiery spirit and a short temper. If anything, he sometimes thought she could pass off as Ryo’s sister; they both had similar personalities. He also knew that if she put her mind toward something, she could achieve it. She just had to believe in herself first. “Let’s start the levitation session, okay?”

Hana nodded slowly and broke from Cye’s embrace. “Stand over by the big rocks. I’m going to pass the smaller rocks to you,” she said. She picked up some small rocks while Cye moved to his location. A small pile lay before her as she concentrated on the center of her being. The warm, tingling sensation filled her body as she focused on the pile before her. The aurora appeared around the rocks as one by one they lifted off the ground. With a hand out, she pushed her energy forward, making the rocks move toward Cye. He held out both hands as the rocks reached him. He looked over at his girlfriend with a smile on his face. A couple of weeks ago, that girl couldn’t even move a rock without using so much energy. Now it was like she was a professional. Once all the rocks made it over to the other side, she took a deep breath and relaxed.

“You’re getting the hang of it,” Cye smiled. He dropped the rocks from his hands and moved toward her. “You did it with such ease. I’m amazed.”

Hana blushed at the comment. “I did some practice of my own while you were at school. I wasted a lot of glassware during the process.” She laughed at the thought. “It’s much easier now, but I do get a little shaky from time to time. It takes a little bit more effort to move the objects than to just have them float from the ground.” She stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the feeling of her muscles being relieved of the tension. “Anyway, speaking of school, I was doing some thinking. I would like to go back and continue my studies. It would be good for me. I was thinking of enrolling at your school.”

“I think that’s a great idea. We can spend more time with each other; not just you and me, but with Ryo and Kento, too.” He took Hana’s hand in his and gently squeezed it. “It’ll be a great start for things to go back to normal for you.”

Hana looked at the ground, focusing on a random spot. The word ‘normal’ was something she felt she could never go back to. After all that had happened to her in her life, was it even possible for her to go back?

* * *

Cye stood outside the door of the counselor’s office. Hana had asked him if he would accompany her to the school for her appointment. A smile formed on his lips as he recalled how excited she was about going back to school. In the car, she listed all the things she wanted to do but didn’t know what to pick as her major. To hear her sound so positive made him feel like everything was going to be okay for her. He snapped out of his stupor when he heard the door open. Hana emerged with a sigh and a smile etched on her face. “How did it go?” he asked.

“Really well,” Hana said with a sound of relief. “I told her that I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a major, and she suggested I take on liberal arts in the meantime. She even helped me pick out a few classes for the semester.”

Cye embraced Hana’s body tightly. “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart. You are moving forward and sounding more positive.” He broke the hug and looked at his watch. “Hungry? I could go for some burgers.”

“That sounds nice.” The two of them started down the hall, hand in hand. Hana stopped short as she saw a familiar figure heading their way. “Hi, Natsumi. What are you doing here?”

Natsumi gave a small wave as she approached the couple. “Hello, Hana. Hello, Cye,” she greeted in her normal soft voice. “I’m here for an appointment with my counselor. I have questions about this upcoming semester. What are you two doing here?”

“I just saw a counselor, too. It’s been awhile since I stepped foot inside a classroom, so I decided it’s time to go back to school,” Hana replied. “I start next semester, so I’ll be able to hang out with all of you.”

Cye kept an eye on Natsumi’s features. He could tell she wasn’t excited about the news. A hint of sadness could be seen in her eyes as she said nothing in return. He cleared his throat to break the awkward silence. “Well, Hana and I were heading out to get something to eat. We don’t want you to be late for your appointment. We’ll catch up soon, okay?”

Natsumi nodded her head and gave a small smile. “I would like that. Enjoy your meal together.” She gave a small bow and walked past the two slowly.

Cye let out a sigh as soon as Natsumi disappeared from view. “This is going to be tough,” he said in a low voice. “School is the only place Natsumi and I really get to hang out together. It’s going to change now that you are joining us.”

Hana looked at Cye as he looked down the hall in the direction Natsumi was walking. “You said she has a crush on you. I guess the news I just told her didn’t make her feel good. I’ll be taking the time she has with you away.”

“She needs to accept the fact that I have someone,” he said. “I know it’s sort of harsh for me to say, but it’s true. I’m sure she’ll find someone who will make her happy someday. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Taking Hana’s hand once again, he led her out of the building with both stomachs growling.

* * *

Natsumi walked the deserted campus alone after her meeting. She stopped when she got to the big tree where Cye and his friends ate their lunches. The school was the only place where she felt content and the only place where she could be alone with Cye. Now that Hana was attending the same school, things were going to change. The mixed feelings of sadness and anger swelled within her. “Does she… does she know that I like him?” she asked herself. “Is that why she is coming here for her schooling? There are so many other schools. Why this one?” Tears started to fall uncontrollably down her cheeks.

 ** _“Aw. Don’t cry. You have a good point there. Why would she choose such a school like this one? She should have chosen a cheaper school if she didn’t know what she was going for,”_** said a smooth voice.

“Who said that?” Natsumi asked as she looked around her. There was no one on the campus but her. “Who’s there?”

 ** _“That doesn’t matter right now. I can sense darkness in your heart, a darkness that could be very useful indeed,”_** the voice cooed.

She took a step back. Her heart pounded rapidly against her ribcage. Her eyes darted left to right as she tried to look for the source of the mysterious voice. “Darkness? I don’t know what you are talking about. Who are you?”

**_“Think about it now. You hate Cye for treating you so nicely, then telling you that he has a girlfriend. You hate Hana for taking Cye away from you.”_ **

“What? Hana has nothing to do with this. Cye and I weren’t even going out.” She started running away from the area, seeing if the voice would disappear. Fear became known as she rounded the corner of one of the buildings.

 ** _“But if Hana wasn’t around, you and Cye could have been together,”_** the voice continued.

Natsumi covered her ears and shook her head. “No! Stop talking to me!” She slid down against the brick wall of the building.

**_“Now, now. I’m here to help you.”_ **

“Help me? With what?” She took her hands off her ears and continued to look around the area. “What are you talking about? Where are you?”

**_“I can help you get Cye to be all yours.”_ **

“That’s impossible. He loves Hana...” After wiping the remaining wetness from her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her knees. “There's no way you can change something like that.”

**_“Now, I wouldn’t say that. I could be very… persuasive. Come to the old warehouse near the school. You know where that is, right?”_ **

“Yes. It’s the place that was on fire not too long ago,” she said as she got up from her spot.

 ** _“Go there and I will show you how you can get Cye to be yours.”_**   The voice disappeared with a laugh.

“Hello? Hello?” She walked the premise once more, looking for the person who owned the voice. Was she going crazy and was she just talking to herself the entire time? The conversation left her uneasy. However, she was curious about the whole ordeal.

* * *

Night fell and Natsumi went to the old warehouse just as the voice told her to. Only a few lamps were lit in front of the warehouses. A chill ran up her spine as she passed each building. “This is kinda creepy,” Natsumi said to herself. She stopped at the abandoned warehouse that was covered in rust. The place had caught fire, but the building still stayed intact. She opened the rusted doors carefully. A loud screech echoed in the area as she opened them. Candles could be seen standing tall on stands. With one foot in front of the other, she entered the building slowly. “What is this?” A sweet scent hit her nostrils as she looked around in confusion. Candles were the only things that could be seen in the vast area. Was this practice of witchcraft?

“Welcome. I knew you would come,” said a familiar smooth voice.

Natsumi’s head shot forward. “Who are you?” Walking forward, a dark figure came into her view. As she drew near, the light revealed a young lady that looked about five years younger than Natsumi sitting comfortably in a big, leather armchair. The girl had long black hair with pale skin; she looked sickly as she gazed upon Natsumi. She wore a long, plain, black dress with a golden locket that hung from her neck. “You’re a kid?”

“That’s what you think. I’m much older than I appear,” said the girl, her crimson eyes locked with Natsumi’s. “My name is Kurushimi.”

“Kurushimi…” Natsumi tried to absorb everything that was happening at that very moment. “Why me? Why did you summon me here?”

“I needed someone who was close to Cye Mouri. I sensed the darkness that dwelled within you,” Kurushimi said matter-of-factly. “It made me curious, so I did some investigating. You are a very interesting human indeed.”

“Human? What do you mean by that?” Natsumi could feel the fear building up inside of her once again. “Are you a witch or something?”

Kurushimi slowly got up from her chair and walked toward Natsumi. She cupped Natsumi’s face with her cold hands and looked at her. “What a pretty face. Too bad Cye doesn’t realize your beauty.”

Natsumi blushed and then pushed Kurushimi off of her. “What are you?” She took a couple of steps back from the being in front of her. No human was capable of having such cold hands.

“That’s classified information to you,” Kurushimi said simply. “You came here looking for help. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be standing here.”

Natsumi swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “I came out of curiosity.”

A smirk formed on Kurushimi’s small lips as she held out her hand. “I am here to help you get what you want. You do want happiness, right?”  
Natsumi hesitated for a moment. Her mind was so clouded that she didn’t know what to think. She slowly nodded her head. “I do want happiness.”

“Glad to hear it, my dear. Come this way.” Natsumi felt a cold hand grab hold of her as she followed Kurushimi through a small door. They entered a room where a glow of green light filled the area. Kurushimi stopped in front of a large tub-like tank that the green light emanated from. Inside the tank were small, thin tubes that were floating in the liquid. “This will help you.”

“You want me to get inside that thing?” Natsumi asked in horror. She tried to escape the cold grasp, but the grip was too tight around her wrist. “I change my mind. I don’t want your help.”

“Don’t worry. You will be able to breathe. All you need to do is put the helmet on that’s inside. The rest will take place on its own.” Kurushimi said calmly. “It’s safe, and it won’t harm you.”

“This is so creepy.” Natsumi could feel her legs shake as she looked at the tubes that were floating inside the tank.

“You want Cye for yourself, no?” Impatience was setting in as she looked at the frightened girl in front of her.

“I do… but…”

“Then get in!” Kurushimi released the grip she had on Natsumi. “Trust me. You’ll be fine. Just take off your clothes and get right in.” She smiled sweetly as she looked directly into Natsumi’s eyes.

Natsumi’s body seemed to move on its own as she did as she was told. She took off her clothes and got into the tank. She grabbed the helmet and placed it on her head. She placed the oxygen mask over her mouth that was attached. As soon as she did that, the tubes that were in the tank with her dug themselves into her skin. Natsumi screamed in agony as she felt lukewarm liquid flow into her. With eyes shut tightly, she could feel her mind go absolutely numb. Her limbs felt like they were on fire. Tears flowed from her eyes as the process continued.

* * *

“You know what goes great with hot dogs?” Kento asked as he added ketchup to his dog. After he was done topping that one off, he took another and added mustard. Ryo watched as Kento piled ten hot dogs on his plate.

“I’m afraid to ask,” Cye said as he took a small bit out of his hot dog. He shook his head when Kento’s hot dog pyramid fell over, some falling off the table and onto the floor.

“Chili and cheese,” Kento said. He gathered all his hot dogs back onto his plate and devoured them one by one.

“Well, that’s not so bad,” Hana said, who was sitting next to Mia. The two girls were already done with their lunch.

“Add chocolate to the mix and it’s a party in your mouth,” Kento added with a laugh.

“Now, that’s just gross,” Cye said with shake of his head. “Slow down or else you are going to choke. I don’t know how many times we have to remind you.”

Kento waved Cye off and stuffed two hot dogs into his big mouth at once. Hana laughed at the sight of Kento’s puffed out cheeks that were full of food.

“Thank you for having us over, Mia,” Ryo said. He was trying to tune out Cye and Kento’s bickering from the other end of the table.

“No problem. I wanted to have a small get together before you guys go off to school again,” Mia said. “I know all of you will be busy with homework.” She turned her attention to Hana with a big smile on her face. “Congratulations on going back to school.”

“Thank you, Mia,” Hana said as she felt her cheeks grow warm. “It’s going to be a new chapter in my life.” Hana took a sip of her iced tea. She had to admit that things were looking up, and she had Cye to thank for that. She looked down at her beverage and saw that the two ice cubes that were attached to each other had broken apart and were slowly melting in her cup.

* * *

Natsumi emerged from the tank, liquid drippig down her naked body.

“Good. The process was a success,” Kurushimi smirked. “How do you feel, my dear?”

“I feel fine,” Natsumi said in a low voice. She looked at her hands while clenching and unclenching them. A warm feeling surrounded her body as she looked at Kurushimi. “What was put in me?”

“I fueled you with power.” Kurushimi tossed Natsumi a towel. “Your desire is your weapon. However, it’s not permanent, and you will have to keep coming back for more. You can control Cye easily with what I gave you.”

Natsumi looked at her curiously as she wrapped the towel around her waist. “What is your motive? This isn’t just about me and Cye, is it?”

“You are getting brave. That meek, timid, little girl I saw earlier seems to have vanished.” Kurushimi slowly walked out of the room with Natsumi following suit. “You are right about that. I do have another reason.” She sat back down in her chair, releasing air slowly out of her mouth. “I am very weak still. My power isn’t up to its maximum yet. I’ll tell you more on that later. I want revenge on the two people who caused my father’s demise and the Inferno Armor.”

“I’m listening,” Natsumi said with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Cye was the one who defeated my father in battle, but Hana is the reason why the plan fell through. I want you to destroy her by taking away the one thing she has left: Cye. Like I said before, your desire will be your tool.”

“But how do I use it? And what is this Inferno Armor you seek?” Natsumi did feel slightly different and it was true that she had become bold.

“You’ll figure it out when the time comes. The Inferno Armor is something of great power that my father wanted in his possession. Now, I’m getting tired, and I’m done looking at you. Go get your clothes on.” Kurushimi waved her hand in the air, dismissing Natsumi from the room. “I’m going to avenge my father, no matter what the cost.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana goes berserk in the city after finding out what Cye has been doing.

Cye strolled into one of the main parks in Shinjuku. As the summer months came to a close, fall began to slowly peek through. Some of the leaves on the trees had started to take on color. The sun was starting to set, making the air cool and crisp. He wore his light blue sweater as he walked the cemented path. In his hand was a hand-written letter. The contents of the letter requested Cye’s appearance at the park. He sat down at one of the benches while he waited. A few people were present in the area. A small child was having fun flying a kite in front of him. At the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure walk towards him.

He got up and smiled. “Hello, Natsumi.”

“Hello, Cye. Thank you for meeting me here,” she said in her casual low voice. She was clad in a short pink skirt and a plain white tee. Her hands were fidgeting in front of her as she made eye contact with Cye.

“What’s up? I got your letter from home. I guess you didn’t know I was staying at Mia’s house for the summer,” Cye said.

“No, I didn’t,” Natsumi said. “Do you always stay at her place during your vacations?” She eyed him curiously, waiting for the answer.

“Yeah. Ryo and Kento do, as well. I told you that Mia is a very close friend of ours. We’ve known her since our middle school days. She doesn’t mind the company, and we all need away from our families from time to time.”

Natsumi nodded at his answer. “Let’s sit down. I brought you something to help you during school.” Cye didn’t have time to inquire, as Natsumi had quickly led him back to his previous spot on the bench. He watched as Natsumi went into her satchel and brought out a small purple candle. “I have tons of these candles at home. They help ease the stress and clear the mind.” She took out a match and lit the wick of the candle. “Here. Smell it and see if you like it.” Cye was hesitant of Natsumi’s odd, quick, and rather insistent behavior that he smell the candle. He didn’t want to offend her, so he took the candle in his hand and took a whiff. The smell of lavender entered through his nostrils, making his entire body relax. His muscles went limp as he continued to smell the candle. The scent was almost intoxicating. “You like?”

Cye simply nodded as he mind started to grow numb. All his thoughts seemed to vanish as he looked at the girl in front of him. Natsumi smiled and took Cye’s free hand in hers. She looked at him straight in the eyes. He didn’t budge as he looked into hers. Crimson swirled and overtook the normal inviting color of her eyes. “I really like you, Cye. I like you a lot. I think you should be with me. Agree?”

As if his body was moving on its own, his head nodded at her question. “Hana is a great person, but I think you deserve better. I mean, who leaves for a year and then randomly shows up?” The tone in Natsumi’s voice was no longer soft. The soft glow of red appeared in Cye’s eyes as he, again, nodded. “You no longer love he. Only me from now on.”

Natsumi grinned as she leaned forward and captured Cye’s lips with hers. Her tongue slid past his lips so she could taste him. Cye wrapped his free arm around her neck and kissed her back. His heart raced as the lavender scent and the kiss filled his senses.  
She moved away from him and blew out the candle in his hand. The crimson color slowly faded as he starred into Natsumi’s now Persian blue eyes. “Thank you for the candle, Natsumi. I’ll make sure I use it once school starts,” he said with a warm smile.

“I’m glad you like it,” Natsumi said, bringing back her soft tone of voice. “I know that you had some trouble during the last semester because of Hana.”

Cye shook his head. “Hana is no longer an issue.” He took Natsumi’s hands in his and looked her in the eyes. “You are the only one I see.”

A giddy grin spread across her rosy pink lips at the words she never thought she'd hear. The plan was going smoothly for her. “But you must break up with her gently, and you must not let your friends suspect anything. Stay with her until the time is perfect.”

“I understand.” Cye got up from his seat and helped Natsumi to her feet. “Let’s get something to eat before I head back to Mia’s.”

“I would love that,” Natsumi said. She looked at the people who were staring at the couple. “What you are looking at?” She turned her head and led Cye out of the park.

* * *

 

Hana took two big rocks and crushed them together using her power. Cye took her to a spot that was mostly filled with weeds and rocks, a place that she could tear apart with her training. She took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes once more. An image of her aunt appeared in her mind again, along with the harsh words she had said to her. Purple aurora appeared around her body as she opened her eyes. She moved her hands so that they were across from each other. A small purple orb of energy appeared in between them. The rage that she felt made the orb grow bigger. With a loud scream, she thrust her hands out, sending the ball of energy flying into the trees. The sound of tree trunks hitting the ground could be heard in the distance. Sitting down, she wiped her brow with her hand and took slow deep breathes.

“Geez, Hana. You need to take it easy,” said a voice. Hana looked to her right and saw Kento standing right where she let the energy ball go. “One small inch to the side and I would have been flying, too.”

“I’m sorry, Kento. I didn’t know you were standing there,” Hana said as she slowly got to her feet. “You should have said something to let me know.”

Kento chuckled lightly as he walked over to Hana. “I could tell you were deep in thought. I didn’t want to disturb you during your training.”

“How nice of you,” Hana smiled. She sat back down on a big rock to give her body time to relax. She could feel her legs slightly start to shake. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

Kento joined her by sitting on the dirt ground. “Nah, nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to see how you were doing. You have been training by yourself the last two weeks.”

Hana nodded in agreement as she played with a few strands of her long black hair. “Cye said he had family business to take care of. I didn’t want to ask him too many questions. He seemed kind of out of it, to be honest. I guess his mother’s health isn’t doing too good.”

“Yeah, his mother’s health is an issue from time to time. He tries to help out as much as he can so his sister doesn’t have so much on her shoulders,” Kento said sadly.

“It’s understandable. I just miss him.” Hana kicked a small rock with her foot before she stood up. “My power control is getting slightly better. I am having trouble keeping my rage in check, though.”

“I can see that,” Kento agreed as he stood up as well. He laughed as he brushed the dirt off his blue jeans. “That energy ball you created was something else.”

“Shinjisha was able to do energy attacks. I wanted to see if I could do some of my own. Levitating things is good and all, but it’s getting kind of boring at the same time.” A growl could be heard coming from Hana’s mid-section, her cheeks slowly becoming pink with embarrassment.

“Hungry, are we?” Kento laughed. “It’s been hours since you last ate, right? Let’s get some burgers downtown. I’m sure Ryo is hungry, too.” He grabbed Hana’s hand and led her out of the destroyed area and towards Mia’s house.

* * *

 

Hana savored the cheeseburger in slow bites, feeling her hunger slowly dissipate in favor of newfound energy. She watched as Kento inhaled five hamburgers in less than the five minutes they were there. Ryo just shook his head as he munched on the salty fries in front of him. Hana took a sip of her soda as she glanced out the big window of the restaurant. She choked on her drink as she saw Cye walking with Natsumi down the sidewalk across the street from them. The pair were walking hand in hand and laughing as they conversed together. Hana immediately stood up and raced out the restaurant door.

“Cye Mouri!” she shouted as she raced down the sidewalk to catch up with the pair. Her heart started to beat fast within her chest as she sped up after them. She could hear Kento calling after her, and she knew the two men were following after her. Cye stopped mid-walk as he noticed Hana running after him. She stopped in the middle of the street, panting hard after her run. Cars screeched to a halt as they tried to avoid hitting the dark-haired woman in front of them. The all honked in an attempt to have her move out of their way. She ignored the noise as she stared at Cye with hard eyes.

“Cye, what are you doing with her?” Hana asked as she pointed her index finger at Natsumi. “Why are you holding her hand? You told me you were at your mother’s house today.”

“I-I was, but then my sister said she could take care of her today. I…I was in the area and saw Natsumi and asked if she wanted lunch,” Cye said hesitantly.

“Like a date?” Hana asked. She could feel her blood boil within her veins as she waited for an answer.

“Hey, lady! Get out of the way!” shouted a man in his mid-forties. His hand was pressing on the car horn.

“Do you think of me as some kind of fool?” Hana asked in a low voice, ignoring the man yelling at her. Cye gripped Natsumi’s hand as he saw purple aurora surround Hana’s body. Her dark bangs hung over her eyes to hide the anguish in them. “Answer the question!” Tears streamed down her reddened cheeks.

“Hana, please try to calm down,” Cye said in a gentle voice. In the back of his mind, he knew it was no good. She was losing control fast because her energy was rising to an alarming rate. He moved Natsumi behind him in order to give her some sort of protection for what was to come.

The hands that were close to Hana’s sides formed into fists. “All those promises of always being with me, they were all lies, weren’t they?” People close by on the streets stopped at what they were doing; some had fright on their faces as they witnessed the growing energy surrounding the girl. The people in their cars fled their vehicles to get somewhere safe. “It was all pity, wasn’t it? You were really hanging out with her when we weren’t together. All those things you told me were LIES!”

“No, Hana,” Cye said. “I realized it a few weeks ago that my love was dying for you. I tried to hold onto it. I really did.” Hearing those words come out of his mouth sounded wrong, but he didn’t feel anything.

Ryo looked around as he approached Hana with caution. “Hana, this is no place to show your power. People around us are noticing,” Ryo whispered.

Hana snapped her head in Ryo’s direction. “Do you honestly think I care?!” With a flick of her wrist, she sent Ryo flying into the opposite direction where his body made contact with the cement. The aurora blazed around her as she turned her attention back to Cye. The ground started to shake under everyone’s feet as they fled the scene, screaming and shouting. A small crater formed under Hana’s feet as her power grew. Her mind grew numb as anger engulfed her. Natsumi cowered further behind Cye as she watched in terror. The person in front of them grew bright purple with no means to stop.

“Hana! Stop this now!” Kento demanded and lunged himself onto her body. “This is crazy! You have to calm down!”

“Get off me!” Hana grabbed Kento by the collar of his shirt and flung him to the side with ease. Sirens could be heard in the distance as the face-off continued.

“Ryo, we got to do something!” Kento shouted as he slowly got to his feet, wiping off the bit of blood he had on his face. “The cops are gonna be here any second! If they see this mess, they're gonna take her in!”

Ryo just stood where he was. They couldn’t stop a power this strong with just themselves. “Kento! Get your sub-armor on! We are going to take her down!”

Kento looked at his fiery friend in shock. “You crazy?! We can’t hurt her! ”

Ryo simply nodded. “We can’t defeat her like this. At least with our sub-armor, we stand a chance.” Getting out his red armor orb, Ryo transformed into his sub-armor.

Hana levitated a nearby stop sign from the ground and aimed it at Cye and Natsumi. Natsumi screamed as she clung herself to Cye’s back. Just before the iron pole could come into contact, Kento stood between them, clad in his sub-armor. He caught the pole of the sign with his hand and threw it down. “Get her out of here,” Kento whispered to Cye. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything.” Cye didn’t have to think twice and led Natsumi out of the area.

“Stop!” Hana shouted as she started after them. She levitated a trash can and threw it at the fleeing couple, only to miss by a couple of feet.

Kento stepped in front of her and placed his strong hands on her shoulders. “Hana, come to your senses! This isn’t like you!”

Hana growled and tried to shove him off of her. “Don’t get in my way!” A small ball of purple energy appeared between them. “Leave me alone!” She released the ball, making it hit Kento straight in the abdomen. Kento flew through the air and crashed into a brick wall.

“Kento!” Ryo cried as he watched his friend make contact with the ground. He turned his attention to Hana with clenched teeth. Hana stepped toward Ryo, fists at her sides. He stood his ground as she approached him. He was ready to fight, but then he saw the purple aurora vanish from around her. Hana fell to her knees and then collapsed onto the ground. He ran up to his fallen friend and felt her pulse.

“Is… she alright?” Kento asked as he slowly walked next to Ryo. With his hand pressed firmly on his injured arm, he looked down at his fallen friend with sadness in his eyes. His heart ached for her and the tough times that were to follow.

“Yeah. She just fainted,” Ryo said. “She used too much energy, I’m surprised she lasted this long.” Ryo picked Hana’s body up and held her in his arms bridal style. “We’ll take her to Mia’s where we can watch over her.”

Kento looked behind his shoulder and saw three cop cars heading their way. “We better run. We can out-run them in our armor.” Ryo merely nodded and dashed the opposite way, leaving the scene in his wake. Kento was not too far behind.

* * *

 

Cye kept running with Natsumi not too far behind him. He looked behind his shoulder and stopped, catching his breath. “This… is far enough,” Cye panted. “We’re a good distance from the scene. She won’t follow us.”

Natsumi could feel her heart pound hard against her ribcage. Her nerves rattled with fear as the image of Hana played in her mind. How could someone possess such power? “Cye, you never told me she was capable of such a thing,” Natsumi said, her voice shaken.

“There’s a lot you don’t know, Natsumi. Hana has this gift that we were trying to work on. As you can see, if she gets too emotional, it can get out of control,” Cye explained. “Stuff happened to her when she was little. I guess you could call it possession of a spirit that caused her to form the gift.”

“I don’t believe in ghosts, Cye,” Natsumi said plainly.

“There’s a lot that you might not believe at first, but eventually I’ll show you.” Cye grabbed Natsumi’s hand lightly. “You have nothing to fear. As long as I am with you, you are safe from her.” He squeezed her hand gently, making her cheeks flush pink. Her nerves relaxed and the fear she felt a moment ago seemed to disappear.

“Let’s go to my house. No one is home at the moment,” Natsumi suggested with a smile. “I’ll make us some food. I’m a pretty good cook. Anything you want, I can make.”

Cye smiled warmly at her. “We have something in common then. I love to cook myself. Let’s see what you have in the kitchen and I’ll let you cook for me.” He bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead. Natsumi smiled and led him in the direction of her home, her hand still intertwined with his.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get heated between the guys.

After tucking Hana into one of the beds upstairs, Mia made her way down the stairs and into the living room. The news could be heard from the television. Mia stopped when she saw the scene that was displayed on the screen. It was the same place where Hana displayed her power. The news reporter that was on duty was busy interviewing one of the witnesses.

“S-She stopped right in front of my car,” said the man to the reporter in a shaky voice. It was the same man who yelled at Hana to move out of the way. “I told her to get out of the way, but she didn’t listen to a word I said. All of a sudden, I saw this weird, purplish glow surrounding her, and then the ground shook. It was like something straight out of a movie. I got out of there as fast as I could.”

“Did you get a good look at this girl?” the reporter asked curiously into the microphone.

“I only remember her having long, black hair. She was probably around seventeen or eighteen, but that’s all I can tell you. She did seem pretty upset, though,” the man said.

“Thank you so much for talking with us,” the reporter said. The man merely nodded and went on his own way. “Well, there you have it folks. If you have seen this girl, please contact us–”

Mia took the remote control and turned off the television with a morose look on her face. She entered the dining room, where Kento and Ryo were. “She’s out like a light,” Mia said as she entered the dining room. “From what you told me, it looks like she used up all of her energy.” She let out a sigh through her mouth as she crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s not all. The news is all over the area where the incident happened. They are looking for answers as to what happened.”

“We heard,” Ryo said as he leaned his body against the wall. “We need to keep her here until things die down.”

Mia nodded in agreement. “I’m going to go stay with her to make sure she’s okay.” Mia slowly exited the area and headed back upstairs to where Hana was sleeping.

“I don’t understand what Cye was thinking,” Kento said. He was sitting down with his elbows propped on the table; his hands were folded above them. “It just doesn’t make any sense, you know? He was totally in love with Hana. Now he goes and does something like this?” A pained expression formed on Kento’s face. “He wouldn’t go and do something like that.”

“I’m upset, too, Kento, but people do fall out of love,” Ryo said quietly. His arms were folded over his chest, and his eyes were closed.

“Don’t give me that. We both know Cye too well. For him to just dump Hana like that…” Kento balled his hand into a tight fist. “He didn’t just dump her. He cheated on her. That’s not the Cye we know. I think Natsumi had something to do with it.”

“Now, wait just a minute, Kento. Don’t go blaming her for what happened,” Ryo said sharply.

“You are only saying that because you like her,” Kento spat. He glared at his comrade from across the room. “Think about it for a second. She has had this crush on him for a year. Then Hana suddenly shows up and they are together again. After a couple of months being back together, he dumps her just like that? Come on. She has to be behind it. Maybe her shy exterior is all bull.”

“Enough, Kento!” Ryo slammed a fist hard against the wall. His breathing started to become uneven. “I know it’s hard to believe, but Cye was the one who made the decision. You can’t go blaming her for his actions!”

Kento jumped from his seat, knocking over the dining room chair he was sitting in. He walked over to Ryo, his blood now boiling in his veins. Fury washed over him as he grabbed Ryo by his shirt collar. “How dare you say something like that,” Kento sneered. “Listen to yourself. We have been friends with Cye for years. You know damn well he wouldn’t go and hurt people like that.” Ryo didn’t say anything except stare down at his hard-headed friend. “Pffh. What a disgrace you are. What is wrong with you?”

Mia looked up from her book as she heard yelling coming from down the stairs. She placed the book on the small desk and got up from her seat. Racing down the stairs, she ran into the room only to find Kento holding Ryo against the wall firmly by the shirt collar. “Guys, stop!” Mia ordered as she ran up to the two men. “This fight is futile. If you want answers, go talk to Cye yourselves.” Kento looked into Mia’s pleading eyes then let go of Ryo’s shirt. He groaned loudly and stomped out of the room. Mia turned to Ryo with concern plastered on her features. “I don’t know what is going on. He does have a point, though. Cye wouldn’t do something so rash and sudden like this.”

“I understand that, but we can’t go around blaming other people for his actions,” Ryo said in a hard voice and walked out of the room. Mia stood alone in the room, wondering what was going to happen next.

Kento walked quietly into the room where Hana lay asleep. He motioned next to her and looked upon her sleeping figure. Her breathing was coming out evenly as she slept. It looked like she was in absolute peace. However, he knew the peace wouldn’t last long. He removed a strand of hair that was covering her face. “I won’t let you get hurt, Hana,” he whispered. “I’m sure there is an explanation as to why this all happened.” Kento inhaled slowly through his nose and exited the room. A single tear appeared on Hana’s cheek as she continued to sleep.

* * *

Cye greeted Mia the next day as he entered her home. Kento and Ryo were sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting for Cye to join them. The tension in the air was thick and heavy as Cye sat in one of the arm chairs. He knew exactly why he was called to Mia’s as he looked at his two friends. “How’s it going?” he asked, trying to break the ice between them.

“It’s going alright,” Ryo said casually. “How are you doing, Cye?”

“I’m okay. Getting ready for the new semester. How’s Hana doing?” He knew the last question was dangerous, but he had to know.

“She’s still sleeping,” Kento said flatly. “Why do you care?”

“Kento!” Ryo said. “Let me do the talking because I know you are going to say something that’s going to cause trouble.” Kento scoffed as he turned his head to the side and focused his attention on the lamp that was on the side table next to him. Ryo returned his attention to the man sitting across from him. “Cye, we need to know what happened. We are concerned and confused about this whole situation.”

“I know,” Cye said quietly as he shifted in his seat. “It was a hard decision to make. My feelings were just… not as they were a year ago. I slowly started to realize it, and I wanted to hold onto those feelings. However, something sparked within me when I started hanging with Natsumi.” Ryo crossed his arms over his chest as he listened. “I never wanted to hurt Hana. That was never my intention, and I didn’t know how to break it to her.”

“And yet you continued to go out with Natsumi even though you two were still together,” Kento said with venom in his voice. “To me, that’s cheating.”

“Enough,” Ryo warned.

“She was trying to help me,” Cye explained. “I didn’t expect to see Hana that day. She had every reason to be mad at me.”

“I still don’t buy it,” Kento said as he got up from his seat. “I know you, Cye. You don’t just go and do something like that. I could tell that you were in love with Hana, and now you are saying you don’t have feelings for her? Well, I call bullshit on this whole thing.”

“Kento, I think you should leave the room,” Ryo said, as he, too, got up from his seat. “There is nothing wrong with his explanation. You are acting like a child.”

Kento glared at Ryo then looked to his close friend. “I don’t believe a word you just said.”

“I know you are upset, Kento, but things happen and people do change. We aren’t teenagers anymore,” Cye said in a calm voice.

“Whatever,” Kento said with a wave of his hand as he headed up the stairs.

Ryo shook his head as he sat back down on the couch. “He hasn’t left her side this whole time.”

“That’s good. I want her to know that she has people who care about her. I know it’s going to be painful for her when she wakes up,” Cye said. There was a wave of sadness that overtook his body for a moment as he sat there.

“We are going to watch over her. There are news reporters all over the city looking for answers as to what happened that day. We can’t let her go out there in the state that she’s in,” Ryo explained.

“I didn’t know about that. I guess I haven’t been keeping up with the news lately.” Cye sighed heavily as he got up from his seat. “I better go. I don’t want to cause any more trouble.” Ryo got up and walked Cye to the front door. “Keep me updated on her condition.”

“You got it,” Ryo said with a small smile. “I’ll see you around once things die down.” Cye smiled at his friend as he exited the house.

* * *

Hana slowly opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling above her. She turned her head to the right to examine the place she was in. She recognized the small desk that was by the door. She was in the same exact room she was in after the fight with Shijisha. With a low moan, she rubbed the sleep out of the corners of her eyes and sat up in the bed. The soft ray of sunshine was coming through the window, giving a sense of warmth in the area. However, the warmth seemed to go unnoticed as pain stabbed Hana right in the heart.

Tears involuntarily fell down her cheeks as the memories of that day started to play in her head, the look on Cye’s face as he was walking with Natsumi down the street and the answer he gave her after she questioned him. It didn’t seem real. It was like she was in a parallel universe. The one person who she counted on had left her just like everyone else in her life. Something snapped inside her as she stared into space.

“Hana?” Kento asked as he entered the room. “You’re awake? That’s great.” He stopped mid-walk as he noticed the tear-stained face before him. “Hana…”

“Can I help you?” she asked. Her tone was cold as was her expression.

“I-I just came to see how you were doing,” Kento replied. “You were out for three days. We were all getting worried about you.”

Hana scoffed at the answer she got. “I don’t need anyone to worry about me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Her hard eyes stared at Kento as she got up from the bed. “And I certainly don’t need your sympathy.”

“Hana, what is going on? Why are you like this?” Kento stepped back as Hana exited the room with heavy footsteps. He followed her down the stairs, grabbing her shoulder once she got to the bottom. “Please, Hana.” Hana smacked Kento’s hand away from her body and glared at him. The friendly blue-eyed girl he knew was no longer. The light that was once present in her eyes seemed to disappear. Darkness was all he could see now within the blue pools. The pain and anger that she felt overwhelmed her as she pushed Kento’s body away.

“I don’t need anyone’s help, especially yours,” she sneered. “I understand what’s happening now. No matter how close I get to someone, they all eventually leave me. I don’t need anyone in my life so stay away from me.” Hana turned and quickly headed out the front door before anyone else could stop her. Kento stood there in shock as he watched her get into her car and drive off down the dirt path.

“Was that Hana just now?” Ryo asked as he walked over to his friend. “Why did she leave? What happened?”

Kento turned to Ryo with a worried expression. “I went to see if she was okay and saw that she was awake. However, it was like she was a completely different person. She was cold, distant, and mean,” he said. “She told me to stay away and that she doesn’t need anyone in her life anymore.”

“She’s going through a tough time,” Ryo said in a gentle voice and placed a strong hand on Kento’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault.”

“It is my fault,” Kento said through clenched teeth. “I let her go. Right now she should be here instead of out there where people are looking for her. She took me by surprise that I didn’t know what to do.”

“We’ll figure something out. For right now, she needs to be left alone.”

* * *

“Hello, Cye,” Natsumi said in a cheerful voice as she opened the front door to her house.

“Hello,” Cye said as he stepped inside. The scent of lilacs hit his nostrils as he made his way further into the house. Paintings of different sceneries hung along the walls were the first thing he noticed. There were no family pictures, just the paintings which he found quite odd. “Are your parents home?”

Natsumi shook her head. “My dad is on a business trip and won’t be back for another week.” She took Cye’s hand and led him up the stairs. She made a right and stopped at a white French door. She opened the door to reveal a pink painted room. There were stuffed animals on the floor, and on the twin bed was a daisy comforter. There were some purple candles that were lit up on the white dresser by the small window. Natsumi blushed as she led him inside the room. “It’s childish, I know. My dad doesn’t stop buying my stuffed animals and I don’t want to upset him.”

“It’s fine. I think it’s cute,” Cye smiled. "Hey, where is the bathroom?"

"Oh. If you go back down the stairs and make a left, it's the door you first see," Natsumi said.

After exiting the bathroom, Cye started for the stairs. He stopped when he heard rumbling coming from down the hall. He passed the wall of paintings until he was face to face with two French doors. He slowly opened one of them and peered inside. The room had an uninviting atmosphere to it. There were no windows at all. A lone armchair was sitting in front of what looked like a fireplace. A huge portrait of a woman was hanging in front.

He jumped when he felt a light hand touch his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Natsumi standing behind him, a look of fear plastered on her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a rushed voice. " I thought you were going to the bathroom?"

"I did and I was about to head back to you, but I heard rumbling coming from this room," Cye explained. "No one is in here though."

"The burner is located next to this room," Natsumi said nervously. "You're not supposed to be here." She was about to take Cye's hand until a sharp pain hit the back of her head. She gripped her head, her vision slowly getting blurry. "I'm suddenly not feeling well. Maybe you should go." She headed down the hall and to the bathroom where she closed the door behind her. Falling to her knees, she grabbed her head with both hands. Excruciating pain hit her temple as she tightly closed her eyes. It felt like her head was going to split into two halves. "What is this?" She fell onto the cool, tiled flooring.

"Natsumi? Are you okay in there?" Cye asked from the other side of the closed door, concern etched on his face.

"I-I'm fine. I just… need to be left alone," Natsumi said in a shaky voice. She felt like she was going to be sick.

"Are you sure?" Cye asked. He could hear soft moans from within the bathroom.

“Yes, Cye. Just go home, okay?” Natsumi said. There was pounding in her ears as she tried to sit up. She heard Cye say something, but couldn’t make out the words. Something was seriously wrong.

* * *

“Kurushimi!” Natsumi yelled as she burst through the warehouse doors. The young woman was sitting in her chair reading a book. She eyed the Natsumi as the girl struggled to walk into the building. “Something… is wrong with me.”

“Well, of course something is wrong,” Kurushimi said nonchalantly. “You haven’t been back here for a few weeks.” She closed her book and took a deep breath through her nose. “You didn’t listen to a word I said.”

“What are you talking about?” Natsumi asked as she weakily made her way to Kurushimi.

“I told you, you had to come back every week to get treatment,” Kurushimi said simply. “Have you ever heard of withdrawals? Well, that’s what you are experiencing. You just need more juice. Is Torrent still under your control?”

“Yes,” Natsumi said as she sat on the cold, cement floor. “I just want this pain to stop.”

“Come with me.” Kurushimi slowly got up from her seat and made her way to the small room where the tank was. Natsumi followed suit and instantly removed her clothes. She grabbed the helmet and put it on her head along with the oxygen mask, while immersing in the liquid. The tubes entered her flesh as her limbs went numb. This time, she didn’t flinch. Kurushimi walked back and forth in front of the tank. “I’m actually surprised that Torrent is still under control. If you were having withdrawal symptoms, then your control should have weakened.”

Natsumi emerged from the tank, taking everything off of her. “He seemed fine to me,” she said as she grabbed a towel to dry off.

“Yes, well, don’t let this happen again. I don’t deal with idiots,” Kurushimi said with a shrug. “At least the plan is working. Tell me, how did Hana take the rejection?”

Natsumi stopped drying her body off as she recalled the event that happened a few days ago. “It was frightening.”

“Frightening? What are you talking about, child?” Kurushimi eyed Natsumi with curiosity.

“Hana possesses some kind of power. She saw us together, and she just went insane. There was this aurora that was surrounding her. She levitated a stop sign and hurled it at us. Luckily Kento was there to stop it. I never saw anything like it.”

“So, she has power. I wonder if that fool Shijisha has anything to do about this. It’s an interesting discovery, though.” Kurushimi exited the small room and headed back to her chair. “To have someone with that kind of ability…”

“What are you talking about?” Natsumi asked as she got her pants on. “She almost killed us. She’s dangerous and needs to be locked up.”

Kurushimi laughed and waved her hand. “Nonsense. You know nothing about Hana. This person could become valuable.”

“I still don’t understand. You want revenge of on her and Cye. Yet all you are doing is sitting at your chair, doing nothing,” Natsumi said with her hands on her hips.

“You are a brave child, I’ll give you that, to talk to me in such a manner,” Kurushimi said as she looked at Natsumi in amusement. “I was always frail and weak, but I practiced spells and enchantments to make me stronger. That time hasn’t come yet for me to use my full power. When the time comes, I’ll get the Inferno armor and unleash its power on this horrible planet. That is what my father wanted, and I shall carry out his wish.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mia and the guys get an unexpected visitor.

*Syara is my friend's character. I’m just using her for my story.

* * *

 

Silence was all that could be heard as the young man stood in the middle of the room. With his legs spread apart, his bare feet planted firmly on the waxed wooden floor, sword in both hands and his eyes closed, he concentrated. It was only him and his sword in the room. He opened his eyes and shouted as he moved the sword in different angles in the air. His feet danced on the floor as he spun a few times. He stopped with one knee on the wooden floor and the other bent with his arm extended to his right. His lavender eyes looked to the side and saw a light-haired girl standing by the doorway. Her thin frame was leaning against the door frame with a smile on her face. He stood up and placed his sword back in its sheath.

 “So, this is where you go every time you have time off from class,” she said. “The master swordsman, Sage Date.”

“I come here to train and to improve my skills, Syara,” Sage said simply. “I put all of my frustrations into training.” He took a white towel and dabbed his face with it. “My statistics class is giving me a hard time. I wanted to clear my mind before starting the homework.”

“It’s not an easy class,” Syara agreed. “I had to take it two times until I passed and even then, I barely made it. You should try getting a tutor.”

 Sage took a swig of his water and looked at his female friend. “I don’t need tutoring. I’m doing fine. It’s just stressful.”

 Syara shook her head and smiled. “Okay, okay.”

 She met Sage a couple of months ago in one of her classes. The blond-haired man mainly kept to himself while other people in the class engaged in conversation. It was his eyes that grabbed her attention. Sage was, of course, a very handsome man and many girls in their class would stare at him from afar. However, it was his lavender eyes that she liked the most. It was the first time she saw someone with such beautiful eyes of that color. Trying to befriend him was hard because he seemed uninterested in trying to make new friends. It wasn’t until she found out that his family was part of Date clan that she really got interested. Her grandfather knew everything about swords and was an excellent swordsman. When she was little, he would tell her stories of the people he met during his lifetime, and one of those people happened to be Sage’s grandfather.

Syara sat down next to Sage one day in class and told him about her grandfather and how he met Sage’s grandfather many years ago. She told him that she always found swords fascinating and wanted to learn more about them. This got Sage’s attention, and the two started talking. They soon became friends after that.

“What are your plans for this weekend?” Sage asked as he gathered his things.

“I’m not completely sure yet. I know my mom wants me to stop home,” Syara said with a sigh. “Apparently my big brother is coming home after his big trip from London. He’ll most likely brag about it. He has such a big head it’s not even funny. He knows he’s the success in the family and loves to rub it in my face.” She pouted for a moment at the thought then looked at Sage. “What about you?”

“I’m actually heading back to Shinjuku for a bit. There are some things I want to check up on,” Sage said. For the last couple of weeks, he felt strange energy flowing through the air. The energy made Sage uneasy, which was the real reason he was training earlier. He somehow knew the peace was about to be disturbed. “I notified my teachers about my trip.”

“But the semester just started,” Syara said.

“I know, but it’s something that I can’t avoid,” Sage explained. “I can’t tell you any details. I’m sorry.”

“Oh. Okay then.” Syara felt a little hurt that Sage didn’t want to tell her what was going on. She didn’t want to pry into his business either.

“Come on. I’ll walk you to your next class,” Sage said with a small smile. Syara smiled at him and nodded; the two of the walked out of the room and to their next destination.

* * *

Ryo and Kento were both in the dining room with textbooks spread out on the wooded table. The semester started up and already they were bumping into problems. Hana attended her classes, but avoided the two men as if they were strangers. Ryo didn’t want Cye to be left out, so he invited him and Natsumi to eat lunch with them. Kento was still upset about the whole situation, but was slowly coming to terms with things. Even though things were moving along, they still worried about Hana. That worry plagued their minds and as a result, schoolwork was becoming impossible to concentrate on.

“Did you see her today?” Kento asked Ryo as he jotted down some notes from his math textbook.

“Yeah. I tried waving to her, but she totally blew me off,” Ryo said. He sighed through his mouth and rubbed his temple with his hand. “I’m still trying to grasp on what happened between the two of you that day.”

Kento stopped writing and focused his attention on a spot on the wall in front of him. “Nothing really happened,” he said softly. “I went to check up on her and found her awake in bed. I told her that I was relieved to see her up, but she gave me this look. It was a look that I never saw before on her.” Kento closed his eyes as he tried to picture the events in his head. “Her eyes were so cold that when she looked at me, I felt the coldness pierce right through me. It was frightening, to be honest. I kinda figured she would withdraw herself, but this is something completely different.”

Ryo tapped his pen on his notebook as he took everything he just heard in. She was hurting, but they couldn’t do anything for her. The sound of the doorbell rang, which got the two boys’ attention. Mia, who was in the living room reading a book, walked over to the front door to see who the visitor was. When she opened the door, a man, who she never saw before, was standing there in front of her. He was wearing a simple black suit with a red tie and looked to be about his late forties.

He smiled warmly at Mia. “Good evening. Is this Mia Koji’s place?” he asked.

“It is. I’m Mia Koji. Can I help you, sir?” Mia asked.

“I hope you can. My name is Take Wakayama. I’m Hana’s uncle,” he said softly. “I’m looking for Hana.”

Mia’s eyes grew wide with surprise at the answer she got. “Please come in, Mr. Wakayama,” she said as she opened the door all the way for the man to enter her home.

“Please, call me Take,” he said as he stepped into the house. “I’m actually here to check up on Hana.”

“She’s not here at the moment,” Mia said. “Please have a seat. I’ll put the kettle on.” Mia made her way into the kitchen as Take took a seat on the couch.

Both Ryo and Kento emerged from the dining room and joined their guest in the living room. “You’re Hana’s uncle?” Ryo asked as he sat down in the armchair that was next to the couch. “Sorry. We overheard from the other room.”

“Yes, I am. And may I ask who you two fine gentleman are?” Take asked.

“I’m Ryo Sanada and that’s Kento Rei Faun. We’re friends of Hana,” Ryo answered.

“Hana made some friends? That’s good to hear. I’m happy that she’s adjusting.” Take crossed his long legs and smiled. Mia entered the living room with a tray carrying four cups and a hot tea kettle. She placed the tray on the table that was in the middle and poured green tea into each cup.

“Hana told us that her family rejected her,” Ryo said as he took one of the cups off the tray.

“Thank you, my dear,” Take said as Mia handed him a cup of tea. He took a sip of the hot liquid and sighed. “Hana wasn’t exactly the easiest child growing up with. Her mother was the younger sister to my wife. She was the one who banished Hana from our home.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I believe a family should always stick together,” Kento said from the other armchair. He crossed his arms and looked at Take. “Regardless of how the person is, they are still flesh and blood.”

“You are right,” Take agreed. “I guess I should explain more thoroughly. See, when Hana was growing up, she was a bit of a troublemaker. She would cut classes, sneak out of the house late at night and gave her parents a hard time. She would talk back and yell if they told her to do something. She was cold towards her family, and my wife didn’t like that. She thought it was disgusting how she treated everyone. Her mother would call at night in tears. Then her mother got ill and that changed her attitude. Hana became friendlier and stopped her rebellion. However, tragedy struck and her family died.”

“We were aware of the passing of her family,” Mia said sadly. She was sitting next to Take with her hands in her lap as she listened.

“When my wife and I got there, the entire house was burnt to the ground. The firefighters found bodies amongst the debris. My wife was devastated that something like that happened to her sister. We thought Hana died as well until she came to our house. My wife went ballistic and blamed Hana for the accident. She said that Hana was putting on an act the whole time and set the house on fire. I told her that Hana was just as upset as she was. I convinced her to let Hana stay with us because she had nowhere to go. It was okay for a couple of weeks, but then my wife said some awful things to Hana and the next thing we knew, our dining room was destroyed. She called Hana the spawn from Satan and told her to never come back.”

“Not to be rude, but your wife sounds like a bitch,” Kento said flatly.

“Really, Kento?” Ryo said from across the room.

“It’s okay,” Take said. “She can be overbearing at times. Anyway, I gave Hana the car and told her to keep in touch with me. I wanted her to know that I still cared about her. She wrote to me every week to update me, but the letters had ceased. I grew worried that something happened to her. That’s why I came here tonight.”

Kento looked at Ryo then cleared his throat. “Well, something did happen to Hana.”

“What?” Take asked as he sat straight up in his seat. “Is she okay?”

“Hana was seeing one of our friends. They recently broke up, but it wasn’t mutual,” Ryo said. “She took off and hasn’t spoken to anyone for a couple of weeks now. We think she’s back at her apartment.”

“Hana grew very cold and distant,” Kento added.

“It sounds like she’s reverted back to her old self,” Take said sadly. “She’s probably acting this way because she doesn’t want to get hurt again. She’s been through so much over the year. ”

“We think that’s the case, too,” Ryo said. “We’re glad that you came, though. You explained a lot to us that we didn’t know about. It would explain why she’s acting the way she is.”

“Please, don’t give up on her,” Take pleaded. “I want her to know that she still has people who care deeply for her.”

“I’m sure she knows,” Mia said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “She’s just going through a tough time right now. We’ll look after her. Don’t worry.”

Take smiled at the trio and got up from his seat on the couch. “I thank you all. I must be going. I’m sure my wife is wondering where I am at such an hour.”

“Tell your wife to take a chill pill,” Kento said as he too got up from his seat. “It was nice meeting you.”

Take chuckled and shook hands with Kento and Ryo. “It was nice meeting you, too.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Mia said and escorted Take to the front door.

Ryo watched as the two left the room then looked at Kento. “At least we know why she’s acting so cold.”

Kento nodded. “We just need to get the Hana we know back.”

* * *

Clouds loomed overhead; the smell of rain was in the air. Hana stood amongst a mess of fallen trees. Her breathing was quick as her heart pounded fast against her ribcage. Her long, black hair was tousled and her clothes were covered in dirt. Tears fell from her tightly closed eyes as she fell to the ground on all fours. Images of her aunt and Cye replayed in her mind. It was like her mind hit the repeat button. She could feel the warmth of her power overtake her as she screamed. She stood up and ran through the thicket of trees. With her hands in fists, she punched a few that were in her way. With a loud thud, the trees crashed to the ground. Rain fell from the many clouds in the sky, soaking everything below.

Hana stood where she was, looking at the mess she caused. “Why is this happening?” she asked herself. “What did I do to deserve this?” She slowly walked on, her eyes fixated on the ground. She made a couple of turns until she got the place that Cye showed her when they were still together. Her long, wet bangs covered her face as she walked forward. She looked at the small area of rocks through her bangs. The feeling of sadness and rage swelled as she levitated the rocks with her hands. She clenched her teeth together as her power grew around her. “WHY?!” She used her hands to collide the rocks together, causing tiny rubble to fly in each direction. With her hard eyes she looked at the tiny waterfall. She screamed loudly and smashed the rock formation with her fist, causing the waterfall to fall apart. It was like her mind went blank as the aurora grew around her and with a flash of light, everything around her crumpled.

* * *

Hana awoke only to find herself in a bed. She didn’t have to look around to know where she was. She sat up slowly and saw Kento sitting in the chair by the desk. He was looking at her without saying a word. “What am I doing here?” she demanded.

“I found you lying in the rain,” Kento simply answered. “We heard commotion coming from outside and then we saw your power from Mia’s window.”

“You should have left me there,” Hana said coldly. She pushed the covers from her body and swung her legs around the edge of the bed.

“Oh, no. You are staying in this bed,” Kento said as he got up from his seat. He walked over to Hana and pushed her back down in the bed. “You need to relax and rest.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Hana spat as she struggled to get free.

“Hana, you need to stop this! You are worrying all of us to death!” Kento yelled as he tried to contain the moving girl underneath him. “You have friends and people who care about you! You are not alone!”

“Shut up!” Hana screamed. She moved her head up and spat in Kento’s face, making him take his hands off of her. She kicked Kento in the mid-section as hard as she could and escaped. Kento wiped the saliva off his face and immediately grabbed Hana’s arm. “Let go of me!”

“No!” Kento raised his hand and slapped Hana across the face. Hana stopped moving and placed her hand against the hot spot on her cheek. Kento sighed through his nose and lessened his grip on her arm. “Hana, I care about you a whole lot. I hate seeing you like this.” Hana didn’t say anything and looked to the side to avoid eye contact. “Your uncle came by last night.” Hana turned her head and looked at Kento. “He was making sure you were okay. He also told us more about you. Hana, you have family here, and we won’t abandon you.” Tears slowly ran down Hana’s cheeks as she hung her head. “I know you’re hurting, but we are here for you.”

Hana spun around and buried her face in Kento’s chest, hysterical. “Why…” she sobbed as she held tightly to Kento.

“It’ll be alright,” Kento said as he rubbed Hana’s back with his hand. “I’m here. You don’t have to be alone.”

* * *

 

A/N: Well some of Hana's past is revealed. Please review if you have the time. Thank you.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rowen gets Sage's message about a weird feeling. In the meantime, Kento tries to cheer Hana up.

Hana slowly entered the bedroom that Kento and Cye shared. Kento agreed to help Ryo with some grocery shopping for Mia, so only the two women were left alone. She walked over to Cye’s neatly made bed and sat down on the mattress. Looking around the room, she let out a small sigh. After hearing that her uncle stopped by from Kento, her rage slowly started to disappear. In all that had happened over the past few weeks, she forgot about her uncle. He did seem to be the only one who truly cared about her well-being, something that made her feel at ease. However, the pain of her broken heart still stung and consumed most of her thoughts.

She lay down on the bed and looked to her right. On the nightstand next to the bed was the pendant she gave Cye. The gold that surrounded the tear drop-shaped pendant shimmered in the sunlight. Hana sat up on the bed, took the necklace from the stand and held it in the palm of her hand. She gave it to Cye before she left for her aunt’s last year. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she looked at the object.

Kento walked into the room, but stopped when he saw Hana sitting on Cye’s bed. “Hana?” he asked.

“He told me he would take care of it,” Hana said quietly as if she were talking to herself more than to him. “He promised me.” Hana closed her hand tightly over the pendant and softly sobbed.

Kento looked at the poor woman sitting before him. He walked over and sat down next to her, putting an arm around her body. “Mia found the necklace in his bed when she was making it,” he said, looking down at her. “He wore that necklace every day after you left. I guess it must’ve come loose while he was sleeping.”

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t he realize it was missing?” Hana asked, looking right at Kento, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

Kento didn’t really know how to answer that question. It was true that Cye would have noticed it missing. “Maybe he thought he lost it and didn’t have the heart to tell you. You didn’t mention it until now.”

Hana didn’t say a word. She didn’t want to admit that she too forgot about the necklace. Getting to her feet, she headed toward the door and out into the hallway. Kento followed suit and watched as she slowly made her way back into her room. After seeing the door close behind her, he made his way back downstairs.

“Hana came out of her room?” Ryo asked as he saw his friend descend from the stairs. He was sitting on the couch watching a soccer game that was being broadcasted live.

“Yeah. I found her in my room sitting on Cye’s bed,” Kento said as he plopped himself down in an armchair. “She found the necklace she gave to Cye. She was really upset about it. We spoke, and after that, she went back into her room.” Kento tousled his hair back and forth with his hands as he groaned. “This is driving me insane!”

A small smile formed on Ryo’s lips as his friend continued to mess up his dark purple hair. “At least she’s not cold towards us anymore. She should really shower and eat something, though.”

Kento sighed and relaxed in his chair. “Nothing doing, buddy. I asked her if she wanted something to eat and she said no. I think she’s showering, but I guess it’s late at night. She doesn’t look completely dirty and she smelled nice when we had the talk.”

“Really, Kento? The things you say sometimes,” Ryo said with a shake of his head. “Try her again later tonight. Bring food into her room. I’m sure once she sees it, she’ll give in to hunger.” He turned the volume down on the tv with the remote and shifted in his seat. “Sage called earlier today.”

“He did?” Kento asked, sitting up straight in his chair. “How is he? What did he say?”

“He’s coming for a visit soon. He said that he has been sensing strong energy vibes coming from this direction. He wants to meet with us all,” Ryo looked at Kento with a serious face. “Have you sensed anything?” Kento shook his head. “Our armors are linked with one another. Why haven’t we been able to sense it, but Sage can?”

“Could it be that we aren’t in the same area? Don’t forget that Rowen is on the other side of the world,” Kento suggested.

“But that doesn’t explain why only one of us has felt something,” Ryo said. “Whatever it is, we need to be on alert just in case.”

* * *

A heavy-set Chinese man made his way through the living room holding an envelope in his right hand. He approached the blue-haired boy who was sitting on the sofa; he was too busy with his nose in his book to notice his company.

“Rowen, my boy,” the man said loudly as he stopped in front of the young man. “You haven’t stopped reading all weekend.”

Rowen chuckled as he stretched his arms over his head and cracked his neck. “I know, Mr. Chin. I have this big test coming up and I need to be prepared.”

Chin looked at Rowen with a stern look. “How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Uncle Chin. You are like family, Rowen.”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Chin. I’ll remember, I promise,” Rowen said with a smile.

Chin was Kento’s uncle who lived in China Town, New York; he owned a famous restaurant. Since Rowen was studying abroad in the state, Kento asked his uncle if Rowen could stay with him. All Rowen did was study for school and didn’t get out much to see the sights of the city, much to Chin’s disapproval. Nonetheless it was good to have someone else in the household to liven things up.

Chin smiled widely then gasped as he took the envelope and handed it to Rowen. “This came in the mail for you.”

“Thank you,” Rowen said and ripped the top off. He took out the letter and read it; his face fell as he went deeper into the message. He set the letter aside and rubbed his temple with his hands. “Sage is telling me that he is sensing some kind of presence over by where Kento and the others are. He isn’t sure what it is, but he’s heading over there next week.”

Chin folded his arms and nodded with his eyes closed. “The job of a Ronin Warrior is never finished. Unwanted events occur when you least expect them and at the worst of times. What’ll you do?”

Rowen sat there for a moment. He knew what he had to do. It’s what his heart and armor was telling him. On the other hand, he wanted to try to live a normal life and complete school. At this rate, it didn’t seem possible with enemies popping up everywhere. “I’m going to have to think about this one,” Rowen said as he got up from his seat. “I’m going to go for a walk.”

“Good idea. Some fresh air can do wonders on the mind,” Chin winked. “Also, listen to what your heart tells you. It will guide you in the right direction. It won’t steer you wrong, my friend.”

“Thank you, Uncle Chin. That helps a lot.” Rowen smiled and exited the room.

* * *

Stopping at a small café just down the road, Rowen sat at a table, deep in thought. He watched as people got their purchases and made their way out of the building; people who were rushing to work and the smiles on the faces after a sip of their drink. “What am I doing?” he asked himself. “I’m being selfish. My job is to protect these people from the evil that enters our world. Here I am sitting here feeling sorry for myself about school. The guys need me regardless if it’s a false premonition or not.”

“Rowen?” asked a female voice from behind him.

Rowen turned his back and saw a Chinese girl with emerald green eyes and forest green hair that was put into two buns on the side of her head. “Huan? What are you doing here?”

Huan worked at Chin’s restaurant as a waitress. He was close with her family, but a tragedy happened, leaving Huan alone. Her family was brutally murdered. Apparently the person had a grudge against her father, who was a businessman. Luckily, she was out of the house when it happened. So, Chin took her in and she agreed to work at the restaurant for the room and board. Chin disagreed but she insisted on it. Despite the events that had occurred in her life, she moved on with a smile on her face.

“I always come here for my daily espresso,” she said in a soft voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Making a decision that wasn’t so hard to decide on. I’m going back to Japan for a little bit. Some unwanted business has turned up and I need to go,” Rowen said.

“Aw, well, I’m going to miss you,” Huan said with a frown. “It’s not going to be much fun with you gone.”

Rowen felt his cheeks grow warm and turned around in his seat before she could notice. “T-Thank you, Huan. I’ll miss you, too. I won’t be gone long.”

“That’s good to know. I better head back to the restaurant.” She gave him a smile and headed out the door with her cup in her hand. Rowen watched her until she was out of sight. He hated making promises, because in his line of work, he could never be certain whether he would return alive.

* * *

“Kento, where are you taking me?” Hana asked as she sat in the passenger side of Kento’s car. “I’m not in the mood for surprises.” It was hard to get Hana out of the house. She would stay in her room, and there were times where her emotions got the best of her; there were some things in the room that got destroyed completely due to her power. It was no use having her train on controlling her powers at the state she was in. It would just make matters worse.

“Trust me, Hana. All your stress will disappear once we get there,” Kento said with a wide smile. Hana grumbled and looked out the window. Pretty soon two-story houses came into view, all of them looking almost identical. Each house had a well-kept lawn and garden. Kento stopped in front of one of the house. The whole house was made of brick, and there was a wooden porch in the front. Kento got out of the car, walked over to the other side, and opened the passenger’s door. “After you,” he said as he stepped out of the way.

“Where are we?” Hana asked as she got out of the car and onto the sidewalk.

“This is my home,” Kento said proudly. “I told Mama that you’ll be coming for dinner.”

“Wait. What?” Hana didn’t have a chance to ask any more questions as Kento took her by the hand and guided her to the front door.

He took a key from his jean pocket and opened the door. “I’m home!” he yelled. Hana moved behind Kento when she heard stomping feet heading their way.

“Kento’s home!” cried a small child as she ran into Kento’s body at full force. “What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry, Chun Fa,” Kento said apologetically. “I’m really busy with school and Mia’s house is closer to the school.”

Chun Fa pouted for a second and then smiled wide showing her missing front tooth. She caught Hana’s gaze and moved to the side. Hana looked down at this little girl who had her jet black hair in pigtails. “Is she your girlfriend, Kento?”

“What?!” Hana blushed as she looked at Kento for an explanation.

“She’s a friend, Chun Fa. What made you think that?” Kento laughed. “This is Hana.”

“Mama said that when boys bring girls over, that means they are going out,” Chun Fa said.

“Your mother tells her these things?” Hana whispered into Kento’s ear. “What is she? Seven?”

“Close. She’s eight. She’s the youngest of the family. I don’t know if my other siblings are home,” Kento whispered back.

“Well, there he is! My little boy has finally come to visit his mama!” said another loud voice. A short, round lady with the same jet black hair came running up to Kento just like his sister. She had a ladle in one hand and a dish rag in the other. She gave Kento a giant hug before examining him over. “You look a little thin, Kento. Have you been eating right?”

Hana’s eyes widened at the comment his mother made to him. There was no way Kento was thin. The man ate everything except the kitchen sink.

“I eat every day, Mama,” Kento said proudly. “This is Hana.” Kento moved aside so that Hana could be seen well. “She’s a dear friend of mine who is going through some tough times.” Hana bowed slightly and smiled.

“Aw, well, there’s no need for that in this house. You just make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything. Let the stress fly away!” Mrs. Rei Fuan said as she threw her stubby arms up into the air. “Kento, Rinfi and Yun are out for the night. I told them you were coming but they had plans with their friends or something. Teenagers these days. Family always comes second.”

“Let’s go see Mei Ryu,” Chun Fa said as she grabbed Hana’s hand. “He likes video games and never comes out of his room. Do you like video games, too?”

“Not really,” Hana said as she walked with Chun Fa up the stairs. The walls were covered with picture frames. Not one spot was vacant. Chun Fa led Hana down the hall and stopped at the second door to the left. She watched as the little girl knocked on the door.

“Mei Ryu! I have someone new for you to meet,” she said to the closed door. “Kento’s home, too, so you should go see him.”

The door opened and a young boy of eleven stuck his head out. His hair was messy and he had the same tint of blue Kento had. He looked at Hana through his coca-cola glasses. “Nice to meet you. I’m Mei Ryu,” he said quietly as he adjusted his glasses on his face.

“I’m Hana. I’m a friend of your brother’s,” Hana said as she bowed slightly. “It’s a pleasure.”

Mei Ryu nodded and then turned his attention to his younger sister. “Tell Mama that I’ll be down later. I’m almost done with this level that I’ve been stuck on.”

“Okie dokie,” Chun Fa said and led Hana back downstairs. She turned the corner from the staircase and stopped at a door. “This is my playroom. Let’s play.”

“Okay,” Hana said and stepped into a room filled with dolls, board games, crayons, etc. Hana sat on the floor and watched as Chun Fa dragged out as many toys as she could carry. A sad feeling washed over her as she watched the little girl play. “Aika was like this at that age. She always wanted me to play with her and to be with her.” Images of her little sister trying to get her attention, but all Hana did was turn her back on her. The hole in her heart stung as her mind replayed the images over and over.

“And this is my favorite doll. I take her everywhere and that makes Mama mad,” Chun Fa said as she showed Hana her rag doll.

Hana came back to her senses and smiled at the girl. “Really? Why is Mama mad?”

Chun Fa frowned and tossed the doll aside on the floor. “I’m supposed to be a big girl now and big girls don’t carry dolls around.”

Hana couldn’t help but laugh, something that was foreign to her as of late. “I have a teddy that I sleep with.”

“I have fifty teddies that I sleep with,” Chun Fa said and raced to get another toy.

* * *

 

Dinner was served in the dining room on a long mahogany table. It was like a feast was being held and twenty people were coming to dine. There was Peking duck, lo mein, different types of dumplings, chow mein, fried rice, chicken, pork, and more. Hana sat in her seat and watched as the family took their helpings.

“Help yourself dear,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said. “Don’t be shy.”

Hana took a spoonful of rice and some dumplings with lo mein and ate slowly. Chun Fa had way more on her plate than Hana’s and she was almost done. Kento and Mei Ryu sat across from one another talking about different types of games and what was coming out. Chun Fa was busy telling Hana stories about random events that probably didn’t happen.

“I have a splendid idea,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said after she swallowed her food. “Hana, you should work at the restaurant. It’ll take your mind off things. You can even make up your own schedule. I just need a bit of help.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Kento chimed in. “You should do it, Hana. Plus you’ll have some change in your pocket.”

With her fork still in her mouth, Hana pondered the idea. It would be good to have a change of scenery and it would give her something different to focus on. She looked at Mrs. Rei Fuan and nodded. “When do I start?”

Mrs. Rei Fuan’s wide smile was the same as Kento’s. “You can start on Monday,” she said cheerfully. “Welcome to the family!”

Hana’s eyes grew wide at the words she just heard and looked at Kento. He was smiling at her then continued to stuff his face with the food in front of him.

As the night drew to a close, Hana felt warmth just being in that house full of people. She could definitely see where Kento got his big heart from.

“We better go, Mama,” Kento said as he checked his watch. “We have school in the morning.”

“Aw, okay then. Just be careful out there. And, Hana, you are always welcome back to this house,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said with a warm smile.

“Thank you, Mrs. Rei Fuan,” Hana said with a smile.

A pointer finger showed up in front of Hana’s face as Mrs. Rei Fuan moved it side to side. “You don’t call me that, my dear. You are part of this family and you will address me as Mama Rei Fuan, got it?”

“I understand,” Hana said. “Thank you, Mama Rei Fuan. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“You are a good child. Don’t forget that and don’t let anything get in your way,” she said and gave Hana a wink.

“Hey, Hana. Come back and we’ll play some more,” Chun Fa said as she jumped excitedly. “I need an older sister who can play.”

“I’ll be back,” Hana said and patted Chun Fa on the head.

* * *

Once back in the car, Hana turned to Kento and looked at him with a quizzical look. “Why did you bring me to your family’s house? I still don’t get it.”

Kento smiled and chuckled. “You don’t get it? I brought you here so you can feel at ease. You feel at ease, don’t you?”

It was true that she didn’t feel as depressed as she was and she did laugh a lot during that one evening out of weeks of nothingness. It made her feel like she belonged. Hana smiled and nodded. “I do feel a lot better.”

“Nothing the Rei Fuan family can’t fix,” Kento said proudly as he turned on the ignition. “My little sister loves you to death. It’s hard being the youngest and have no one to play with.”

“Your mother spoils her, doesn’t she?” Hana asked, recalling all the toys in that one room.

“My Mama babies her to death. That’s part of the reason why she acts the way she does. She’s a good kid,” he said.

“Thank you, Kento, for everything,” Hana said softly.

“Don’t mention it, Hana. Like Mama said, you are part of the family now. You don’t have to be alone because we are here for you,” Kento said.

It made Hana feel good hearing those words, but there was still more that was troubling her. Deep inside her gut she knew something was off and she had to get herself together soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana's life becomes more complicating.

Mrs. Rei Fuan was busy putting Hana’s hair up into two buns for her first day of work. Hana stood there in a blue and gold Chinese dress with matching flats. Her nerves were getting the best of her as she fiddled with her hands in front of her. “There. You look stunning in that dress if I do say so myself,” Mrs. Rei Fuan said, putting in the last bobby pin in her jet-black hair. She moved back to get a better view of her work. She looked down to see Hana’s busy hands in front of her. “No need to be nervous. You are here to help me out with some things.”

“I’m sorry,” Hana said softly. “I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m afraid I might fail.” She hung her head in order to avoid eye contact with the middle-aged woman in front of her. Failure was something she was always afraid of. She hated the idea of letting people down; especially after what happened with her and her family, the fear kind of stuck.

Mrs. Rei Fuan walked over and placed both hands on Hana’s shoulders. “You won’t fail, my dear. I can sense potential in you.”

Hana smiled softly at the words when a knock on the door was heard. Kento swung the door open as he entered the room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Hana standing with his mother. She was beautiful standing there with the dress hugging her body and the little bit of make-up she had on was the topping of the cake. He was speechless as he stood there gazing at his friend. His mother cleared her throat which brought Kento back to reality. After shaking his head of his thoughts, he looked back at Hana with a wide smile. “N-not bad, Hana,” he stuttered, trying to regain composure. The heat from his cheeks and the sweat on his palms wasn’t helping.

“Not bad?” Mrs. Rei Fuan asked in disbelief. “I think she looks beautiful standing there.” She took Hana’s hand into hers as she guided Hana out of the room. “Men don’t recognize a good woman if it slapped them across the face.”

“Bye, Kento,” Hana said as she followed his mother down the hall. Kento waved and then leaned up against the wall. He stared at the ceiling while images of Hana in that dress clouded his mind. He closed his eyes and shook his head. What was he doing? Hana was his best friend’s girl. To even have thought of her in that way, it seemed wrong. He let out a sigh and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Hana placed her customers’ drinks on the table with a smile as she then wrote down the food orders. After a few tables, she was getting the hang of waitressing. She enjoyed bringing out the food to hungry customers and seeing their smiles. Her next table was located near the back of the building. “Welcome,” she said cheerfully. “What can I get for-” She stopped mid-sentence when she looked at her next guests; her heart skipping a beat.

“Hana? Since when did you start working here?” Cye asked. He was sitting across from Natsumi at the table.

A lump formed in Hana’s throat as she tried to answer the man’s question. She could see Natsumi staring at her which made it harder. Hesitating, she tried swallowing the lump. “I-I just started… today,” she said softly. She placed her hands behind her back to hide the fact that her hands were shaking. “What brings you here?”

Cye smiled at Hana, making her blush. “I wanted to bring Natsumi here,” he said simply. “We’ve been going out to so many places I forgot to bring her to the famous Rei Fuan’s restaurant.”

“I heard the food is out of this world,” Natsumi said as she looked at the menu. “Cye and I would just like to start with some water.”

Fumbling with her order booklet, she jotted the order down quickly. “I’ll get right on it,” she said and walked away from the couple as fast as her feet could carry her. She kept walking with her head down until she bumped into a body that was standing in front of her. She bowed, apologized and stepped aside so the person could pass. A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders. Looking up, she saw that the person she bumped into was Kento. “Kento?”

Kento waved a waitress over with his hand. The waitress hurried over to see what the problem was. “Please take care of a few of Hana’s tables?” Kento asked with a serious expression on his face. The waitress bowed and hurried to the other side of the room. Kento turned his attention to Hana and grabbed her hand. “Come with me,” he said. He pulled Hana into the hallway and out of everyone’s sight. Standing there, he looked at the girl in front of him. With his thumb, he ran it over her eyes that were moist with tears. “I saw Cye and Natsumi enter this place. I just didn’t think you would get them.”

Shaking her head, Hana wiped her face with the back of her hand. “It’s not your fault,” she said quietly. “It’s my job to serve them…” She couldn’t look him straight in the eyes. Seeing his serious expression made her uneasy.

“This situation is different,” Kento stated. “You are not over him just yet. I don’t want you going out there and hurting yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” Hana sighed. Of course she wasn’t fine. She could feel her heart chip into tiny pieces. The anger she felt before had evaporated, leaving behind the excruciating pain of heartbreak. As she started toward the dining room, Kento grabbed Hana’s arm, preventing her from taking another step. “Kento, let go of me.” His hand didn’t budge as Hana tried to wiggle her arm free.

“No. I can’t stand seeing you cry,” Kento said in a stern voice. He looked down, letting a shadow cover his features. “I don’t want you to suffer anymore.” He shut his eyes tightly as he held her in place. His heart ached for her because he knew he could do nothing for her.

“Kento, let go of me now,” Hana said softly. When she heard no answer, she closed her eyes. Purple aurora surrounded the two of them. Hana used her other hand to levitate Kento from the ground. He gasped as he felt himself float in air. His hand removed itself from Hana’s arm as she moved him down the hall, away from her. “I’m sorry, Kento.” The aurora faded and Kento landed softly back onto his feet. He watched as his heartbroken friend made her way into the busy crowd.

Hana continued to serve her tables with a smiling face. However, she couldn’t help glancing over at Cye’s table. The young couple were laughing and sharing their food. It was like someone chiseled to her heart each time she saw the two. After thanking her last table, she went over to take care of Cye.

“The food was amazing. I didn’t expect the portions to be huge,” Natsumi said as she handed Hana her empty plate. Hana smiled and took the plate. “I definitely want to come here again.”

Cye smiled at Natsumi and patted her on the head. “I didn’t expect you to eat as much as you did,” he said with a hearty laugh, then watched as Hana carefully stacked the dishes on top of each over. “Hana, you did a great job. I’m glad you are doing well.”

She stopped collecting the rest of the plates on the table. After smiling softly at him, she continued to what she was doing. Natsumi suggested that everyone should get together for dinner at some point, which resulted in Hana dropping a plate on the table. Cye looked at Hana as she scrambled to pick it back up. “I think it would be fun,” Natsumi smiled. “We don’t do anything together. I think Kento and Ryo would like the idea.”

“Like what?” Kento asked as he approached the table. He helped Hana with some dishes before turning his attention back to the brown-haired woman beside him. “What would we like?”

“Oh. Getting together for dinner,” Natsumi said. “I know that Cye’s mother has been sick for the past couple of weeks and that’s why we don’t hang out as much. That’s why I want us to get together.”

“Is she okay?” Hana asked, looking at her former lover.

Cye frowned. “She’s fine. The past of couple weeks has been difficult for her. My sister isn’t around as much to take care of her.”

“I could have helped you,” Hana suggested. “I could have watched over her to give you a break.”

“I’m already doing that,” Natsumi said softly. “I’ve been rotating with him every other day.” Feeling like an idiot, Hana avoided both gazes and continued to clean up the table. It didn’t surprise her that Natsumi would be helping Cye out.

Kento glanced at his comrade then to Hana. “I don’t know. We are pretty busy with school and as you can see, Hana has a job now,” Kento said matter-of-factly, getting back to the previous discussion. “But we’ll see.”

Natsumi pouted and got up from her seat. “It was just an idea. Think about it, okay?” Cye followed suit and the two of them walked towards the exit, their arms locked together.

“He didn’t even say goodbye,” Kento said in disgust as he watched his friend leave the building. “Let’s go, Hana.” He watched as Hana staggered her way to the kitchen, tears falling involuntarily down her cheeks.

* * *

 

It had been ten minutes until his luggage came through on the carousel. Picking it up by the worn out leather handle, he walked toward one of the exits. He stopped and looked around the busy area; people getting out of cars and busses as they ran into the building. That’s when he spotted a tall blonde standing against a 1986 silver Toyota Corolla. He walked up to the man and smiled brightly. “Mind if I hitch a ride?” he asked.

“Of course, but I’ll have to charge you,” Sage smiled. Rowen gave his friend a quick hug before throwing his luggage into the backseat of the car. The two men got into the car and drove off.

It was like old times, driving down the road together, except they weren’t in Mia’s red truck. Sage explained that the car was his families and because he was in college, he needed transportation. The two friends exchanged stories about their college lives and how the classes were. Rowen told Sage that Chin always suggested to him that he go and explore the city. The Bearer of Halo laughed before returning to his serious state. “You know why I asked you to come back to Japan, right?”

Rowen turned his attention to the road in front of them. “You said that you sensed something, an aurora. Ryo and the others said that they haven’t felt anything weird?”

“No, but I think there is something going on,” Sage said. “I can feel a rift between our armors.” Rowen looked at his comrade. “We won’t know until we meet the others. I’m just concerned that there might be an evil in the works.”

“I knew the normal life wouldn’t last,” Rowen said as he stretched his arms over his head. “Let’s just hope it’s nothing too serious.” Sage nodded as the two friends continued their way down the road toward their destination.

* * *

 

The place looked haunted from where Natsumi was standing. The outside was bare with dead plants around the building. The building itself looked old with vines growing on the side. Even the gate gave off a creepy vibe as she pushed the black, rusted thing open. The creaking it made startled a bunch of black crows that were nesting in the tall grass. As she walked the uneven pavement the more she wanted to run the opposite way.

Why did Kurushimi tell her to come to this place rather than the warehouse? The warehouse wasn’t much better but she preferred that place over this one. Her hands and feet started to sweat as she knocked on the aged wooden door. Her nerves bounced all over the place. After a few moments of silence, the door opened revealing Kurushimi in a frilly, short black dress, her long dark hair covering one side of her pale face.

“You got my message I see. Splendid,” Kurushimi said. Natusmi just nodded as she stood before the young woman. “Don’t just stand there, come in.” Slowly Natsumi stepped into the old castle and looked around. The whole place was filled with dust, sheets over the furniture, and antiques on the bookshelves. The place actually gave off the scent of an old library mixed with smoke. She watched dust fly up from the wooden floors until she followed Kurushimi up the rickety old stairs. To her right, she saw old pictures in frames on the walls. Some were of a woman and child, while the others were of Kurushimi as a kid. Just who was this girl? Once they made it to the second story, Kurushimi turned left and entered a room that had two tanks in it. “Welcome to my laboratory.”

Natsumi walked over to the two glowing tanks and examined them. “Two tanks?” she asked. “Why do you need two tanks?”

The girl just laughed at the question. “The other one isn’t finished yet. It’s for a special project I’m working on. Just get into the tank on the left and get your fill.”

Natsumi stripped of her clothing and proceeded with the procedure. The liquid entered her body, relieving her of the shakes and nausea. Her body drank up the fluid as if her entire being depended on the stuff. She felt amazing after she emerged from the tank. She dried herself off and got her clothes on. “How come I’ve gone from a couple of days, to a week and now two weeks to wait to get this stuff? Why is that?” Natsumi said in a demanding voice.

“Like I said before, I’m working on a new project. I don’t have time to waste with you anymore. You can still come over and get the serum, but you’ll have to wait every two weeks. My body needs rest as I regain my strength back. This new project is taking a lot out of me.,” Kurushimi explained. She grinned at Natsumi as she continued her work on the other tank. “You were a timid human being. However, with that serum running through your body, you are bolder. I hope you are watching yourself while you are with Cye and his friends. Don’t want them suspecting anything now. Not yet.”

“You keep saying ‘human being’ and yet I don’t know why,” Natsumi said. “What are you? Are you human?” She waited but no answer came from the girl in front of her.

Stopping what she was doing, Kurushimi sat down on her stool. “I was a human being once. My father was a great sorcerer. He could do anything he put his mind to. As I got older, I wanted to learn the ways of sorcery. After my mother’s death I started experimenting with different things. It wasn’t necessarily sorcery, but it still had power,” she explained. Her face then contorted into anger. “However, there was a being who knew of my father’s work. My father quickly did a ritual where we would sell our souls but keep our shells.”

“Some sort of demonic ritual? So, you are immortal?” Natsumi asked in a low voice. The word was hard to get out because now she was truly scared. It seemed that with every breath she took, her boldness went with it.

“No, dear child. Before the powerful being arrived, my father sent me into a deep sleep. Afterwards, the being trapped my father in a seal. That’s what he told me of course. This is where Hana comes in. My father had an assistant during that time. He knew she wasn’t part of this world, but it didn’t matter to him. He was still stronger than her even though she possessed great power. The woman was in love with my father and would serve him no matter what the cost. She too was banished by the being, but was able to escape and plant her soul within a body. Hana was the less fortunate one. She was the one who resurrected my father and then he awoke me from my years of slumber. I was too weak to do anything at the time. Hana was free from her prison and my father was killed by Cye of Torrent. That’s why I want revenge of those two.”

“What you are telling me makes no sense,” Natsumi said. “For all I know you are some wack job who practices witchcraft.”

“That’s up to you if you believe me or not. Just know that I will get my revenge on Cye and Hana,” Kurushimi said and removed herself from her seat. “I’m getting tired. You need to leave so I can get some rest.”

Natsumi didn’t have a problem with that. Right now her head was swimming with all the information she was given. None of it made sense and had to be one big story. There was no such thing as real sorcerers and witches. However, Cye did mention something about armor and Hana did possess some weird ability.

* * *

Hana stood at the top of the stairs as she watched Cye bring his belongings into Mia’s living room. Since his mother was feeling better and his sister said she would watch over her, Cye had no reason to stay there. He was back at Mia’s house. He would be in the same house and close to her room. Just watching him was suicide because the pain was so bad. Cye made his way up the stairs with two pieces of luggage at his side. He looked straight into her eyes. Hana moved, almost mechanically, to the side to let him through. She heard him say thanks and move on into the room he shared with Kento.

“Seriously? You have been gone this long and now you show up?” Kento said out loud. He was sitting on his bed as Cye unpacked his things. “Did you even think what this might do to Hana?”

He looked at his friend. “Hana will be okay. It’s hard the first couple of months,” he said. His tone was almost too calm. It was like he didn’t even think of the consequences. He placed his shirts into the drawer and sighed. “She could always go back to her apartment.”

Something inside Kento snapped. “She left that apartment a long time ago! She didn’t want her uncle supporting her and not only that; we didn’t want her to be alone!” Cye didn’t say a word. “You have no idea what she has been through, do you? You don’t hear her crying every night. She got the job at my family’s restaurant so she can keep herself occupied. Then you show up with that girl.”

“Her name is Natsumi and we didn’t go on purpose,” Cye said defensively. “I just wanted her to taste your family’s cooking.” At this point, Cye was no longer into his unpacking. He was standing in front of Kento with folded arms over his chest. “Why are you like this? I told you I fell out of love with her. These things happen in everyday life. Why can’t you accept that?”

“Because I know deep down you still have feelings for her. I cannot except the fact that after she comes back you go from totally in love and then out of it. I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, but I do know when something is off,” Kento said as he got up from the bed.

“Well then, I feel sorry for you that you can accept change,” Cye said, his tone melancholy. “By the way, it’s ‘brightest bulb in the box.’” Cye exited the room, passing Hana who was standing outside their door. She could hear Ryo and Cye talking downstairs. The problem wasn’t Cye, it was her. He was there before she showed up. Why should he suffer because of her? Before Hana knew it, she was flying down the stairs. She could hear people calling out her name as she raced out the front door and into the chilled air. Tears started to leak from her eyes as she ran down the dirt path and away from the house. Finally, she stopped at the site that Cye brought her to what seemed like eons ago. There were now fallen trees that littered the ground with the destroyed waterfall. The images of her destroying the place that she once loved made her ache even more. She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. It seemed like the pain would never cease to exist.

She stopped crying when she heard a twig snap from behind her. Not bothering to turn around, she wiped the wetness from her eyes. “Now’s not the time, Kento,” she choked as she continued rubbing her eyes. However, the voice she heard wasn’t Kento.

“He wanted to run after you but I told him not to,” Ryo said calmly. “He’s too emotional right now.” The Bearer of Wildfire slowly walked into the littered area. He took a seat on a tree stump and looked down at his friend. “Would you like to talk? To someone other than Kento, that is.”

Hana didn’t budge from where she was. Suddenly the rocky ground became comfortable. “I have no reason to be in that house,” she said quietly. “Cye was there before me. I’m the one who should leave. I’m just tearing you guys apart.” She hated the thought, but she knew it was a true fact. The boys hardly hung out with each other because she’s always around.

Shaking his head, Ryo sighed through his nose. “You aren’t tearing us apart,” he said. “It’s just rough right now. Cye is still our friend and comrade in arms. There is nothing that’s going to change that.” Hana listened as she watched some ants on the ground in front of her. “You need to stop being hard on yourself. We are here for you, regardless.”

Hana sat there as she soaked everything in. In the time that she had known Ryo, they never really got a chance to be alone with each other. She knew that he was hot-headed in battle but warm-hearted, caring and doesn’t give up on others. Looking up, she starred into those tiger-blue eyes filled with passion and warmth. “I’ve made a mess of things here,” she said with a small laugh. “Everything is destroyed. I destroyed the one place that made me feel at ease.”

Ryo examined the area and smiled. “It’s not a loss cause. We can remove the fallen trees and plant new ones. We can even rebuild the waterfall,” he said looking down at her. “All we need to do is rearrange the rocks. I’m sure if we get Kento over here, he’ll do it with ease.”

“I guess we can give it a shot,” Hana said as she looked at the mess that was now the waterfall. She got up from her spot and dusted her pants off of the dirt. “I can actually remove the trees myself.” She focused on the fallen tree opposite of her and purple aurora surrounded it, lifting it up into the air.

“You have gotten better with your power,” Ryo said with a smile still on his face. “Those training sessions paid off.”

“Not exactly,” Hana said as she released the tree with a thump. “I’m not any better with my rage. This area is a prime example of what happens.”

Ryo got to his feet from where he was sitting. “Then you need to keep training. Once we get this place in order, we can help you,” he said with reassurance. “Don’t give up, Hana. Even when times are tough, you have to keep fighting.” Hana’s eyes flew open as she felt him embrace her. She relaxed into his arms, feeling his warmth against her. The pain she felt seemed to disappear and a calming feeling replaced it. Breaking the hug, he gave her smile. “Let’s go tell Kento about this place and see if he’ll help.”

“I’m sure he will,” Hana said confidently. “He’s been a big help lately. I’m sure something like this won’t be a problem for him.” Ryo smiled slightly, leading Hana out of the area and back onto the dirt path where they walked back to the mansion.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the guys are together again. Pressure aims towards Kento about his hidden feelings.

A brush covered in red-orange paint brushed up against the white canvas. Slow strokes, fast strokes then slow again. Natsumi sat up straight on her wooden stool and looked at the work she just did. The mess of red and orange made her scowl. Her father pushed her to become a painter like her mother. She wasn’t bad at it, but she was nothing compared to her mother. Her mother created beautiful works of art that hung all over the house. After setting the brush down on her paint pallet, Nastumi sighed. The whole painting was a means of trying to keep her distracted from the past event that had occurred earlier that day. Her father had summoned her to his study that morning; the uneasiness that she felt when she walked through the double white French doors, still stayed with her. He sat in his usual armchair that was facing the fireplace in the back of the room. She stood there, waiting for her father to speak.

“I’m going to London next week,” he said. He didn’t move from his chair in order to see her. All she saw was the back of his seat. “Apparently it’s family event and my company requested that I bring you along on this trip.”

Fear struck Natsumi hard as she tried to process the information she had just received. If she was away from Cye, then that would mean her control over him would vanish. She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to regain composer. “B-but what about my schooling?” she asked.

“I don’t care about your schooling. It’s a done deal, Natsumi,” her father said bluntly. “We are leaving next Tuesday.” Natsumi was about to say something else when she heard her father slam his fist against the armrest of the chair. “Don’t make me repeat myself. Now get out of this room.” His voice was firm and cold. The grl slowly walked out of the room and walked up to her room where she closed the door.

Groaning loudly, she placed her hands on her face. The spell she had over Cye was going to wear off. She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if she disobeyed her father’s orders. A shiver ran down her back at the thought. Just then the door opened and a man in his late forties was standing in the room. He wore a plain white polo shirt and jeans and had a reseating hairline.

“What is it, Tim?” Natsumi asked. The man was Natsumi’s uncle and youngest brother to her father. He was a gentle person but didn’t have a backbone. Anything her father said, Tim would obey without question. It just proved how much authority her father had in the household.

Tim walked over to where his niece was sitting and stared at the painting in front of her. A smile broke across his lips as he looked at the messy work. “I take it the meeting with your father went well?” he asked in almost a chuckle.

A shadow loomed over Natsumi’s face as she hung her head. “You know very well what the meeting was about. I tried to object, but I knew the consequences. We are leaving next Tuesday.”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” he said, looking down at her. “You both will be surrounded by people so nothing bad can happen to you.” He placed his hand on Natsumi’s shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. “It’s only a week and it’ll go by fast. Try to enjoy yourself while you’re there.” He left Natsumi alone in her room as she sat in her seat in silence.

* * *

A knock at the front door could be heard as Mia was putting away the clean dishes. “I’m coming,” she said as she hurried over to the door. “Rowen, Sage,” she gasped as she opened the door. Standing before her was the bearer of Halo and Strata, both baring suitcases and friendly smiles.

“Long time no see,” Rowen said with a wink. “I hope you don’t mind that we dropped by.”

“Of course not,” Mia said as she stepped aside to let the two men into the house. “I was told that you two were on your way. I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

“Well, we can’t really waste time,” Sage said in his serious voice. “I’m sure Ryo has told you about my letter?”

“Yes, he did,” Mia answered. She took the coats from her friends and placed them on the coat rack. “They haven’t sensed anything though, so I don’t know what to think.”

“Same here,” Rowen said. “Sage wrote me a letter as well stating what he felt. I was just guessing it was because I was all the way in New York.”

“I don’t think that would be an issue,” said a voice. Everyone turned their heads to find Ryo and Kento standing a few feet away from them. “Our armors are connected so I don’t think it would matter where we are,” Ryo continued.

“But Sage does seem to have more of that spiritual stuff going on,” Kento stated as he made his way to his other friends. “How are you doing Rowen old buddy? How’s my uncle treating you?”

“He treats me like part of the family,” Rowen answered with a smile. “Doesn’t let me study and always makes me eat.”

“Sounds like him,” Kento laughed with a huge grin. “Glad to have you all here.”

“Where’s Cye?” Sage asked Ryo. It seemed like he didn’t want to waste any time with formalities.

“He went out about an hour ago. He got a call from Natsumi and said it was an emergency,” Ryo said.

“Yeah, about that. Who is this Natsumi girl and what happened with Hana?” Rowen asked. He looked at Kento who scoffed and walked toward the living area. “It’s that bad?”

Kento pounded his fist on top of the sofa and laughed sarcastically. “He basically dumped her like she was a pile of garbage.” He could feel the rage building up inside of him. “They were completely fine and then… he just goes and dumps her. I don’t know.”

“Why don’t we all sit down,” Mia suggested. “I’m sure you two are exhausted from your travels.”

“That’s sounds like a good idea,” Sage said. “I do want to know more about what has happened since Rowen and I left.”

Ryo explained everything from start to finish while Kento stood up against the nearest wall, his arm folded over his chest. Rowen had a look of shock while Sage looked at Ryo as he took all the information in. He knew something was out of the norm and he also knew it couldn’t have been the fact that Cye dumped Hana. However, it was possible that what he was feeling was connected with the past events that had happened. He just needed to figure out what it was.

“It’s true that people have a fall out, but it just doesn’t make sense at the same time,” Rowen said with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Thank you, Rowen,” Kento said.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t agree with Cye,” Rowen said. “I’m not going to dislike the man just because he made a decision I don’t like. Love is a mysterious thing and anything can happen.”

Kento looked at Rowen with hard eyes and removed himself from the wall he was leaning against. “How would you know? Have you ever been in love before?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t. It seems like Cye is the only one who has experienced it, exception for Ryo’s thing with Runa.” The bearer of Wild Fire cleared his throat at the mention of the girl he once knew who met with a terrible fate. “Have you?” Rowen inquired, looking at his hard-headed friend straight in the eyes.

Kento could feel his face getting warm as he tried to come up with something fast. “I’m going to spend time with Hana. You all are making me sick right now.” Everyone watched as Kento made his way up the stairs and vanished from view.

“He didn’t even answer my question,” Rowen said with a shake of his head.

“He spends a lot of time with her,” Mia said softly. “She is still going through some tough times and he’s trying to comfort her.”

“I see,” Sage said. “In my opinion I wouldn’t get too close to her.”

“You haven’t changed,” Mia said with a smile. “You really do need to loosen up.”

“I’m just stating the facts. She broke up with Cye and in my opinion; Kento shouldn’t be all over her.” Sage looked at Ryo from across the room. “You agree with me right?”

Ryo sighed and sank into his seat on the couch. “I do, but at the same time I think it’s helping her coupe. Kento is just trying to ease the pain, but I do agree on him getting too close. I also think he does have a small thing for her.”

“And that’s what I’m talking about,” Sage said.

“Lighten up, buddy,” Rowen said as he placed a hand on Sage’s shoulder. “Even if we were to tell him to stop, do you honestly think he’ll listen?”

“Probably not,” Sage said with a small smile.

“Exactly,” Rowen smiled. “So, just let him do his thing. If it’s helping Hana, who are we to say ‘no’?”

“I do see a change in him though,” Mia said to her three friends. “His attitude has changed. He hasn’t been the carefree Kento we all knew.”

“He still doesn’t accept change and goes off on tantrums from time to time,” Ryo said to Mia. “I think the carefree attitude has been replaced with him being uptight.”

“Look, whether or not he likes Hana doesn’t mean a thing,” Rowen said. “If there is an enemy out there, we are going to need him.”

* * *

Hana was sitting up in her bed reading a book when Kento entered the room. He silently closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed. The blood that flowed through his veins was still boiling within him.

“What’s wrong, Kento?” Hana asked as she closed her book. “You look like you are ready to pummel someone.”

“If I had a choice, I would,” Kento said as he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath through his nose. “Rowena and Sage are here. There are downstairs talking to Ryo and Mia.”

“They are? I should go see them,” Hana said and was about to get up when Kento placed a hand on her leg. She looked at Kento with confusion, but saw that his face was hard and serious.

“Not right now. I don’t think it’s a good time for you to go down there,” he said quietly. “Just stay here for now.” He didn’t want her going downstairs and have her hear the others talking about Cye. “I just wanted to let you know they are going to be staying here.” Hana relaxed her body against the pillow that was propped up behind her. “You can continue reading your book if you want. Just let me stay here for a little bit.”

Hana nodded and opened her book. She looked at Kento as he sat on the bed in silence, looking at the floor. There was something different about him, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

* * *

A cold breeze blew past Cye as he waited outside a tiny café. The sweater he was wearing wasn’t doing the trick to prevent the cold, not to mention he was wearing another shirt underneath it. He waved when he saw Natsumi walking toward him. She was bundled up in a jacket and a scarf that was wrapped around her neck.

“What’s with the winter look?” Cye smiled after planting a kiss on her left cheek. “It’s not that cold out yet.”

“Cye, I could see you shivering a mile away. The cold season is coming and you need to dress appropriately,” Natsumi scolded. She grabbed his hand and led him inside the warmth of the café. The couple sat down at a small round table across from each other. “What was so important that you needed to see me?”

Natsumi placed a necklace in the middle of the table. It was a blue circular pendant was on a silver chain. She went to see Kurushimi just before her meeting with Cye. After explaining her predicament to the young lady, the solution came to her hands. Kurushimi explained to Natsumi that all Cye needed to do was wear the pendant around his neck. Inside the pendant was the liquid from the tank. Once the pendant touches his skin, the spell will activate immediately. She told Natsumi that it was too early for her plans to go sour. Natsumi looked at Cye with a sullen face. “I’ll be gone a week. My father is going to London on business, but I have to accompany him,” she said softly. “I want you to wear this while I am gone. It was my mother’s.”

Cye picked up the necklace by the chain and examined it. It was a pretty shade of blue and the pattern on the pendant reminded him of the ocean. Just then an image appeared from the back of his mind. It was him and Hana standing across from one another. She handed Cye a necklace just before she left to see her remaining family. A slight pain struck his heart as he recalled the scene. After closing his eyes for a moment, the pain disappeared and he looked at the girl in front of him. “Of course I’ll wear it,” Cye said with a warm smile. The words pleased Natsumi as she smiled back. “I’ve never been to London before. It sounds like it’ll be fun.”

Natsumi didn’t say anything. “Don’t take the necklace off either. I want you to wear it always while I’m gone.” Cye just looked at Natsumi in confusion. “Please, Cye.”

“Okay. I won’t take it off. I promise you,” he said. He placed the necklace around his neck and inside his shirt so it was touching his skin. He immediately felt some kind of warmth spreading throughout his body.

A wide smile was plastered across Natsumi’s face as she saw the necklace on Cye. Things were going to be alright as long as he didn’t take that necklace off. She got up from her seat. “I should get going. I have to go pack.” Cye got up from his seat and walked his girlfriend out of the café. “I’m going to miss you, Cye.”

Cye bent down and captured Natsumi’s soft lips with his slightly chapped ones. “I’ll miss you too. Take lots of pictures and have fun,” he said. Natsumi smiled and walked the opposite way. Cye watched as she walked down the sidewalk and out of view.

* * *

Mia placed the last side dish on the long dining room table when Cye entered the house. The smell of teriyaki filled the place as he made his way into the dining room. “What’s with the extra plates?” he asked as he looked at the set up.

“While you were gone, Rowen and Sage arrived at my door,” Mia said as she fixed the napkins on the sides of the plates.

“They are back? Really? Why wasn’t I told they were going to be coming?” Cye asked feeling out of the loop.

“I thought Ryo mentioned it to you,” Mia said in honesty.

Cye walked out of the dining room and headed upstairs to the room where Rowen and Sage usually shared. When he opened the door, he saw his two friends lying on their beds, each with a book in their hands.

“Cye!” Rowen exclaimed as he put his book down and immediately got up from his bed. “It’s good to see you, buddy.” The two hugged briefly. “How have you been?”

“Been alright,” Cye said. “School has been tough, but I’m getting through it. How’s New York?”

“I really haven’t been able to tour the city to be honest with you. My school is mostly tests so I am constantly studying. Uncle Chen doesn’t like that I don’t get out much.” The two friends laughed. “But once you live there long enough, it’s not so different as here.”

At this point, Sage made his way toward them. “I’m glad to see you are doing well,” he said to his friend.

“Same to you,” Cye smiled. “How’s it going at your school?”

“It’s alright. As you know, the old man doesn’t approve of me going to college and would rather have me at the dojo. He wants me to take over it when he passes. I just want to explore different things before that happens. That’s why I’m taking business classes,” Sage explained.

“I forgot about your grandfather’s wish. It must be tough,” Cye said.

Sage shrugged at the comment. “I’ve put up with him this long. I can take anything that he throws at me,” Sage smiled. “Besides, I told him that the classes that I am taking will help me in the future. He seemed to agree with me.”

A thought struck Cye as he stared at his two friends that were standing in front of him. “What are you guys doing here? School isn’t out yet,” he asked curiously.

“For a while, I’ve been sensing a disturbance in this general area. I don’t’ know what it is, but I don’t think it’s good. I told Ryo and Kento about it, but none of them seem to have sensed it. What about you?” Sage asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

“I haven’t sensed anything,” Cye said. “To me, things have been rather peaceful.”

“I said the same thing,” Rowen chimed in. “I haven’t felt anything which is weird. Usually when one of us picks something up, all of us sense it.” Rowen’s eyes fell upon the pendant that was hanging from Cye’s neck. “What is that thing?”

Cye followed Rowen’s gaze to the necklace. “Oh. Natsumi gave this to me. She’s going to London for a week with her father. She told me not to take it off.”

“Why would she tell you that?” Sage asked. “Where did you meet this girl? Ryo explained to us what happened while we were both gone.”

“I met Natsumi at school. Did Ryo tell you guys that I fell out of love with Hana too?” Cye asked as he put the pendant back inside his shirt. He was getting a little irritated by the sudden questions about him and Natsumi.

“He did,” Sage answered in a calm tone. Now his eyes were on the necklace. He was about to say something else when he heard Mia’s voice calling everyone down for dinner.

Nobody really talked during their meal. Hana just looked at her plate and shifted food around, trying not to make any eye contact with Cye. Kento stuffed his face with teriyaki chicken while scooping up rice onto his plate. Rowen looked at Kento and decided to break the awkward silence. “Kento, slow down there. I don’t want to have to do the Heimlich maneuver on you.”

Kento looked at Rowen before swallowing the food that was in his mouth. “I haven’t really eaten all day, so I’m starving.”

“Wait. You haven’t eaten anything all day? What is wrong with you?” Rowen asked in disbelief. This was a man who always ate at least one thing during all hours of the day. For him not to be eating, that meant something was wrong.

“I don’t know. As of late, my appetite hasn’t been at its fullest,” Kento confessed. “I think school is getting to me. I do have a big test that is eighty percent of my grade. If I fail it, then I fail the class.”

“Do you need any help?” Rowen asked. “I’m sure I can help you if you tell me what it’s on.”

“That would be great. After dinner, come to my room. I’ll show you what I need to study,” Kento smiled.

Rowen stared at his hard-headed friend as he continued to stuff his face with food. Mia wasn’t joking when she said he was going through a change. It wasn’t a bad thing, but he missed his crazy friend.

“I got a letter from Yuli,” Mia said after wiping her mouth with her napkin. “He’s doing well. School is keeping him busy and he’s in a lot of clubs. He joined judo not too long ago.”

“That boy is growing up fast,” Ryo smiled. “Isn’t he in middle school now?”

“That’s right,” Mia said. “He wishes you all well. He really misses the adventures, but at the same time he said he doesn’t mind the normal life either.” Everyone chuckled after hearing about their young friend.

“Who is this Yuli person?” Hana asked.

“He was a little boy that was with us during the battle with Talpa,” Ryo explained. “His parents were captured by the minions of the evil lord. He helped us a lot during that time. We really haven’t seen much of him but he keeps in touch from time to time.”

“The little rascal was annoying at times, not going to lie,” Kento added with a wink. “A typical eight year old boy who didn’t know when to sit down.”

“He wasn’t that bad,” Cye said. “He just wanted to help us.”

“Anyone remember the time when Ryo hit him?” Kento asked. This caused Ryo to blush with embarrassment.

“You hit a child?” Hana asked Ryo in shock.

“I-it was a spur of the moment. I didn’t mean it,” Ryo said defensively. “Trust me, I felt bad afterwards.”

“Those were the days,” Kento said as he sat back in his chair as he reminisced. “Those awesome fights and kicking some major ass. It really got my blood pumping.”

“That’s how we became such good friends,” Rowen added. “It was because of the armors that we all met each other. We have a bond that can’t be replaced.”

Kento gazed over at Cye who simply nodded his head. For the rest of the night, the group talked about the past and the fight they had won together.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsumi spends an awkward time in England. Cye finds out about what happened to waterfall area.

**Bold** = English speaking

* * *

The air was so thick that it was hard to breathe. Natsumi walked up a flight of stairs that seemed to go on for an eternity. It was pitch black as she continued up the steps one by one. Where exactly was she? She wrapped her arms around herself as fear started to rise from deep within her. Suddenly, a spotlight appeared at what seemed to be the top of the stairs. As fast as her legs could carry her, she raced to the top, only to stop when she saw someone standing before her. Their back was toward her. “W-who is there?” she asked in a shaky voice.

Purple aurora sounded the being as they turned to face her. Their eyes glowed a crimson red as they looked down at her. Natsumi knew exactly who was in front of her: Hana. Yet, this Hana was not the Hana she knew. Too afraid to speak, she stood where she was. “You will pay for your actions,” Hana warned. The stairs beneath Natsumi crumpled, making her fall into the pit of darkness.

Natsumi gasped as she opened her eyes. Her eyes moved frantically as she tried to grasp what had happened. She was sitting up in her bed at the hotel in England. It was all just a nightmare. She looked around the room. It was a cute room that had two twin beds, a TV with a small refrigerator underneath it, and various artworks that occupied the wall space. After swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she sat there. Her nerves started to calm themselves as she looked at the clock. It was almost five-o-clock in the evening. Pretty soon she would have to get ready for the party that was being held downstairs. Her father instructed her not to leave the hotel room. She knew better than to disobey his orders. On the chair in front of the mahogany desk, hung a canary-yellow dress. There was a note on the desk…

_Natsumi,_

_I got you a dress to wear to the party. There is a matching ribbon for your hair as well. Be at the ballroom exactly at six-o-clock sharp. DO NOT BE LATE._

She removed the dress from the hanger and looked at it. It was just a plain, knee-length dress, nothing too special about it. She did give her father credit for knowing her favorite color. After getting the dress on and tying the yellow ribbon in her hair, she looked herself in the mirror. In her opinion, she looked like a little kid. Not some nineteen year old woman. Frowning at herself, she made her way out of the room and down the hall.

The ballroom was filled with people wearing fancy clothing. There was a buffet near the tall windows to the right. An ice sculpture of a swan was on the same table as the refreshments, totally out of her league in class. As she took a step inside, she felt like an outsider. All these people had to be rich to some degree. In the middle of the room, was her father speaking to a rather large man with brown hair and moustache to match. “Dad, I’m here,” she announced as she walked up to him.

“ **Ah! Walter, you remember my daughter, Natsumi?** ” her father said in a rather cheery English voice.

“ **Little Natsumi? Why she’s all grown up,** ” said Walter as he beamed down at the young lady. “ **I don’t think you remember me. I only met you when you were just a baby. You were clinging to your mother and didn’t really have an interest in me.** ” He chuckled and patted Natsumi on the shoulder.

“ **It’s a pleasure,** ” Natsumi said. Her English wasn’t as good as her father’s, but she knew a decent amount of it.

“ **You did a fine job raising her, Aric,** ” Walter said with a wink toward her. “ **I wish my daughters were just as polite as yours.** ”

“ **I try,** ” Aric said as he pulled his daughter close to him. “ **Natsumi, there are refreshments by the windows. Why don’t you go get something to eat?** ”

Natsumi nodded and bowed toward Walter. “ **It was a pleasure to meet you again.** ”

“ **Same here, child.** ” She smiled and then escorted her way out. There were other children in the room in groups, laughing and talking to one another. She felt lonely and wished she was home with Cye and Tim. Unfortunately, Tim wasn’t invited on the trip. Beside Cye, he was the only one she really talked to, her only friend.

“ **You must be Natsumi Johnson,** ” said a feminine voice to her right. Natsumi turned her head and saw a tall, woman with a thin frame. She wore a gorgeous white dress that had sequence around the waist and on the straps of her shoulders. Her blonde hair was in a tight bun with only a few strands cascading down and light blue eyes to match.

“ **I am. Who are you?** ” Natsumi queried shyly.

“ **The name’s Scarlett Wilson. I’m the daughter of Walter Wilson,** ” she answered proudly. “ **I see your father finally brought you along. I’ve always wanted to meet the daughter of Aric Johnson. Quite the man he is.** ” Hearing people speak so fondly of her father didn’t really make her feel any better. In fact it made her feel worse knowing that they didn’t know his true personality. All she could do was smile and nod. “ **How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?** ”

“ **I’m nineteen,** ” Natsumi said in a low voice. She didn’t really want to talk to anyone and wished Scarlett would go away and go to someone else, but she didn’t.

“ **Nineteen? I thought you were younger than that considering what you are wearing,** ” Scarlett said in shock. Now Natsumi wanted to crawl under the table and wait until everyone was gone. “ **Did you pick out that plain dress or did your father?** ”

“ **M-my dad,** ” Natsumi said, her face bright red now.

“ **My dear, you really should dress more like your age,** ” Scarlett said as she put her hand on Natsumi’s shoulder. “ **I have a sense that your mother isn’t living with you?** ” All the talk and questions were starting to give Natsumi a headache. She just shook her head and looked down at the floor at her feet. “ **I see.** ” That was all Scarlett could say until she saw someone waving to her at the other end of the room. “ **I must be going. It was nice meeting you, Natsumi.** ”

“ **Same to you,** ” Natsumi said in a very low tone of voice. She was still looking at the floor and could feel Scarlett move past her to her next destination. Once again, Natsumi was left alone.

* * *

After fixing the last of the wiring, Kurushimi slowly got to her feet and wiped her brow. She walked in front of her contraption and admired her hard work. Bubbles formed within the neon green liquid that was inside of the other tank she built. Things were finally finished and now the final step could be taken –– her patients were finally going to pay off. She exited her laboratory and walked down the long corridor. Old memories flooded back as she looked at certain items that were covered in dust. She stopped in front of a photo of a woman holding a small child. The child smiled brightly in the photo along with the woman. A frown formed on the young girl’s face as she remembered the horrible event that took place shortly after. While on her way home, her mother got into a terrible accident that killed her on impact. Distraught, her father tried to bring back his wife with various spells he was working on. Neither of them worked. Kurushimi was born with a frail body and was determined to become stronger; it was her mother’s wish and learning sorcery was her only option. She spent hours each day practicing different techniques, but each time she failed. Finally she settled on different potions that could kill a person in an instant. Her father wasn’t too thrilled of her decision but supported her nonetheless.

A lone tear fell down her pale cheek as she continued walking the hall. She entered a room and closed the door. The room was filled with books and papers littered the floor. She walked over to the desk that her father sat at and examined the contents on it. There was a book opened to a chapter about a powerful emperor that once lived many years ago. She sat down on the dusty old chair as she read the chapter.

“Taikoku was a powerful being that ruled a great dynasty. His power was feared by many as he destroyed cities,’ Kurushimi read. A picture of a tall being clad in armor was shown on the next page. He was standing amongst dead bodies. ‘However, his reign soon ended when his younger brother, Talpa, battled him for the title. Talpa succeeded and sealed his brother away. To this day, Taikoku lays away somewhere while his brother took the throne.” The young girl sat back against the chair and looked at the book. “Why was father reading this? If this Taikoku was so powerful, why did he go down so easily?” She scoffed and removed herself from the chair. “I don’t have time to be thinking about something so useless. I have other things that must get down. The time has come for me to claim my prize.”

* * *

Tree after tree fell to the ground with loud thumps. Rocks were being thrown to the side as Kento made a small clearing. The area they were working on was coming together smoothly. “It’s a shame that Rowen and Sage had to go back to school,” Kento said as he lifted a huge boulder from the ground.

“Holiday break is coming up and they’ll be back,” Ryo said as he patted the dirt around a newly planted tree. Hana finished removing the last fallen tree from the area and sat down on a large rock. She was using too much power and her body was starting to feel weak.

“Need a break?” Kento asked as he walked toward her. “You look exhausted.”

“Do I?” Hana asked as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “I used too much of my power.” Kento handed her a water bottle and sat down next to her on the ground. “Thank you guys for helping me. I couldn’t have done it without you all.”

Ryo smiled warmly at his friend. “I told you we were going to fix this mess.”

Hana returned Ryo’s smile and stretched her tired arms. “The weather is getting colder. I hope we get this done before winter hits.” A figure walked through the trees causing the three to stop what they were doing and bring their attention to their guest. Hana’s eyes quickly moved toward the ground as Cye made his way into the area.

“What brings you here,” Kento asked as he stood up. Even though the two were talking again, he still couldn’t forgive Cye for what he did.

“Mia said you all were here fixing up the place. What happened?” Cye asked as his attention was now on the girl on the rock. “Hana, what happened to our spot?”

Hana’s ears perked up as she picked up her head and looked at Cye. “What do you mean our spot?” Awkward silence filled the air as the two former lovers looked at each other. “This spot is not longer ours. It’s more like your spot because you are the one who showed it to me. I’m sorry if I destroyed it. That’s why I’m fixing it up.”

“But why did you destroy it?” Cye asked innocently.

“I was upset,” Hana responded. “My rage got the best of me and I just tore it up.”

Cye didn’t say anything and just scanned the area. Kento stood with his arms crossed over his chest by Hana. Cye’s attention was brought back to Hana as the setting sun’s light reflected off of something she was wearing around her neck. His eyes grew wide as something clicked within his brain. “You found the necklace,” he said softly.

“Excuse me?” Hana asked.

“That necklace you are wearing,” Cye said as he pointed to the teardrop that hung from around her neck. “I thought I lost it.”

Her hand brushed the pendant as she looked at the man in front of her. “It was on your nightstand,” she said. “I guess you lost it while sleeping?”

“I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you might get upset,” Cye said.

“Whoa. Wait a minute,” Kento said. “Why do you care? Natsumi gave you her necklace.”

“What necklace?” Hana asked curiously.

Cye looked at Hana and pulled out the item Natsumi had given him before her departure to Europe. “It was her mother’s…” He trailed off his sentence as he realized the same thing happened with Hana and her necklace.

“So, she gave you a necklace too? Are you going to lose it as well?” Hana asked bitterly. Cye looked hurt after hearing what came out of Hana’s mouth.

“What was going on? I’m not going to believe you for one minute that you still care for her!” Kento said as he walked in front of Hana, blocking her from Cye’s view.

“What’s up with you, man? You are acting weirder ever since Natsumi left for her trip.”

Cye took a deep breath and held his head with one hand. All of a sudden he was getting a headache. “I-I don’t know…” His feelings weren’t making any sense to him. Seeing Hana on that rock, it made him want to go straight to her and comfort her. He also missed Natsumi terribly at the same time and wished she would get back from her trip as soon as possible. What was going on with him?

Ryo walked over to Cye and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Cye, is there something you aren’t telling us?”

Cye looked at his friend and leader straight in the eyes. “Not that I know of,” he said as he looked at Kento. “But I do feel like something isn’t right and I don’t know what it is.”

“You are probably tired or something,” Ryo suggested. “Let’s go back to the house.” Cye nodded and followed Ryo out of the area. The pendant around his neck flashed color from blue to gray.

Hana watched the two men until they were out of sight. She placed her face in her palms and groaned. “I don’t know what is happening anymore. All I know is, I can’t keep going like this. Seeing him every day is torture to me,” she said. Tears slowly started to fall from her cheeks as she grabbed the pendant that was around her neck. “And for him to recognize this and sound like it meant something to him.” Kento just stood there as he watched the person he cared for start to sob into her hands. He walked over to her and wrapped his strong arms around her tiny frame. “K-Kento?” Her eyes grew wide at the sudden action of her hard-headed friend.

He shushed her as he hugged her tighter. “I hate seeing you like this. My heart aches because I know there is nothing I can do for you. I just want to see you smile again.”

The tears turned into waterfalls as Hana embraced Kento on the rock. The two didn’t move from that spot until the sun started to set.

* * *

 

A/N: This is a short chapter and I’ll be wrapping this story up soon. The next few chapters are going to be filled with action so please stay tuned.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get heated up when Natsumi antagonizes Hana.

The restaurant was crowded on a late Friday evening. Families and friends flowed into the building to get a taste of the famous Rei Faun cuisine. Hana raced back and forth from table to table, to the kitchen and back. Kento was taking orders on the other side of the restaurant. He turned his head and saw Hana with plates of food balanced on her arms.

Smiling, he thought about why he was there in the first place working. About a week ago, he and Hana went to run an errand for his mother. The two of them walked the busy sidewalk with a list. His mother wanted some things for the restaurant and was too busy to go and get the items herself. Since the incident at the waterfall, Kento made sure he was close to Hana; Ryo and Mia both objected to it, but he wasn’t going to listen this time. The bearer of Hardrock kept walking until he noticed that he was walking by himself. He stopped and turned around to see Hana looking through a window. He walked over to her to see what she was staring at. Inside the window was a beautiful silver bangle. It didn’t look that special to him, but it somehow grabbed Hana’s attention. The young woman noticed his presence and backed away from the display case.

“I’m sorry, Kento. I got distracted,” she apologized.

“You like that bracelet?” Kento asked as he looked at her.

Hana simply nodded. “It reminds me of a bracelet my mother used to have.” Kento could see the sadness in her eyes at the mention of her late mother. “I’m sorry. We are supposed to get things for your mother. I’m sure she’s waiting for us to return.”

With that, Hana moved forward, taking Kento’s hand in hers as she led the way to the nearest store.

* * *

 

Kento was determined to get that bracelet but in order for him to do so, he had to earn his money. He made his way down the stairs and into the living room where Mama Faun was busy going through restaurant catalogs and jotting item numbers on a pad of paper. “Hey, Mama? Can I talk to you for a moment?” he asked as he entered the living space.

“Of course, Kento,” Mama Fuan said as she set aside the catalog she was looking at. “What’s on your mind?”

Kento joined her on the couch and looked at his hands that were folded on his lap. His palms started to sweat as his nerves wracked his body; this was going to be the first time he went to his mother for anything girl related. “I was wondering if I could work a couple of shifts to make money. You see, earlier today when Hana and I went shopping for you, she stopped at a store. She was looking at this bracelet and she said that her mother had a bracelet just like the one she saw. I really want to get it for her.” There was a long pause afterwards. Just then, Kento felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see his mother smiling at him.

“Of course you can work. I’m glad to see that you have found someone you really like,” Mama Faun said softly. “I’m assuming she doesn’t know how you feel about her.”

“I can’t tell her anything,” Kento said remorsefully.

Mama Faun could see the pain in her son’s eyes as he looked at her. “I don’t know what is going on exactly, but I’m sure getting her the bracelet will make her very happy. You’re a good guy, Kento and I’m very proud of you.”

* * *

 

A loud crash brought Kento back to reality. People stopped what they were doing to see what caused the noise. Kento watched with concern as Hana picked herself up from the floor. She looked at the shattered glass before her and started to pick up the pieces with her bare hands. Bus boys hurried to the scene to help. Kento watched as Hana bowed and walked to the back room of the restaurant. Crimson trailed down her arm as she washed the jagged wound. A piece of glass must have made its way into her flesh. She wrapped her injury with a towel and was about to leave when she saw Kento standing before her. Concern was etched on the young man’s face as he looked at the now bloody towel.

“Let me see,” he said softly. He went for her arm but she pulled back. “Hana, let me see.” This time his voice was a little harsh.

“I’m fine, Kento. I just tripped over my own two feet. I was in a hurry to get the plates to the back,” Hana explained, but Kento wasn’t going to leave her alone until he got his way. Giving up, Hana held out her arm so her friend could see. Kento carefully took the cloth off the wound and saw an edge of glass sticking out. Not saying a single word, he exited the room. A minute later he appeared with a pair of tweezers and a first aid kit. “What are you doing with those?”

“You have glass in your arm. We have to get it out,” Kento said. He took hold of her arm and carefully pulled the shard of glass out. Luckily it wasn’t a big piece, but it still hurt. He sprayed some stuff that stung so bad that she let out painful yell. Hana watched Kento as he carefully wrapped her arm properly with a bandage. The scene at the waterfall played in her head. The way he looked at her and embraced her on that rock, it was as if a totally different person was there but looked like the crazy friend she once knew. He definitely was changing. Kento smiled at his work and looked at her. “You want to take the rest of the night off?”

Hana shook her head and smiled. “Of course not. Do you see how many people are out there waiting for your family’s food? No. I need to finish my shift.” Kento didn’t say a word but extended his hand out to her. She gladly took it as the two of them headed back to the busy dining hall.

* * *

 

The cold weather was rolling in fast. The once colorful trees were now bare. Christmas was approaching as stores announced their big sales and shoppers hustled from store to store. Kento was walking with Ryo down the sidewalk. Both of them were bundled up with scarves and extra layers under their winter coats. Ryo was never a fan of the cold, so he made sure he was extra warm. Kento stopped at the small shop that had Hana’s attention weeks ago. As the two gentlemen entered the shop, they were rewarded with the sensation of warmth. The shop had a little bit of everything, from jewelry to bags and then some.

A petite old lady wearing a light blue dress and a white apron approached them with a smile on her face. “Why, hello there, boys. What can I do for you today?” she asked.

“That bracelet that you have in the window,” Kento said as he pointed to the display case.

“What a fine choice. Is it for a special person, if you don’t mind me asking?” The old lady winked at Kento before fetching the precious item.

“Yeah… I guess you can say that,” Kento said. He could feel his cheeks getting warm.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll love this.” The lady went to the register and wrapped the item nicely. “The wrapping is on the house.”

“Thank you,” Kento said as he handed the woman the money that he earned at the restaurant.

“No, thank you and have a Merry Christmas, you two.”

After exiting the shop, Ryo looked at his comrade. “What’s with the bracelet?” he asked.

“Hana saw this when we were running errands. She said it reminded her of her mother. I wanted to get her something for Christmas,” Kento said nonchalantly.

“You like her,” Ryo pointed out.

Kento stopped in his tracks and looked at his black-haired friend. “What? What do you mean?” Kento asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Kento, Mia and I both know you have a thing for Hana. It’s obvious the way you act towards her,” Ryo stated. “And this bracelet is no different.”

Kento looked at the bag in his hand. He ran his hand through his dark blue hair. “I can’t tell her and I can’t do anything about it,” he said in a defeated tone. “She’s Cye’s girl. Even though he totally destroyed her… she still loves him. I can’t tell her how I feel. I can only be there for her when she needs someone.”

“You really have changed,” Ryo said with a warm smile. “The reckless, hard-headed, crazy man that we all knew and loved has grown up.”

“What do you mean ‘knew’? I’m still here. I still love a good fight, and my head is still hard as a rock,” Kento said with a wink. “Don’t worry about me, Ryo. I’ll be fine.”

Ryo placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know you will be. I just know it must be hard for you.”

“You have no idea.” Kento grinned, but Ryo could see that behind that grin, was someone who really was hurting.

* * *

 

Kurushimi was sitting in her father’s chair in his study; a book lay out in front of her. A knock emanated from the big iron door, disturbing her train of thought. She looked up from her readings with an annoyed look on her young face. “Come in,” she said. Natsumi emerged from behind the tall door and stood in front of the wooden desk Kurushimi was behind. “So, you got my message.”

Natsumi looked around and saw that some of the bookcases looked like they were burnt. On the carpeted floor where she stood, she could see burnt marks in different areas. What happened in this room? She shook her head from her thoughts and looked at the girl in front of her. “Yes, I did,” Natsumi said with her hands behind her back. “What is it that you wished to speak to me about?”

The young mistress bookmarked her spot in the book she was reading and closed it. She removed herself from the chair slowly and walked over to her servant. A smile formed on Kurushimi’s pink lips. “The time has come for my plans to come into action,” she said excitedly. “Your purpose has now come and I need you more than ever.”

Natsumi raised an eyebrow at the girl in front of her. “What do you want me to do?”

Clearing her throat, Kurushimi continued to explain. “Christmas is coming up. I’m sure you have plans with Cye and his lackeys, am I right?”

“Yes. We are all having dinner at Mia’s house. Why?” Natsumi was getting a funny feeling about what was going to come next.

“I need you to provoke Hana into using some of her powers to the point where she leaves to be alone. I’m sure someone will say something. I need her to be alone so I can go and get her.”

“Why are you doing this? Why do you want to hurt people?” Natsumi asked. “I know you don’t like Cye or Hana, but can’t you just let everything go?”

“No! I will make sure those two pay, and I will get that armor!” Her eyes flashed red as Kurushimi glared at Natsumi. “And if you don’t help me, I’ll make sure your life will be just as miserable. Now go, and don’t you fail me.”

Fear ran down Natsumi’s spine as she slowly backed away towards the doors. Once she was far away enough, she bolted out of the room and down the dark hallway.

* * *

 

“I smell cookies!” Kento announced as he waltzed into the kitchen that was occupied with Hana and Mia. “Sugar and gingerbread cookies galore!” Drool started to appear at the corners of his mouth as he saw the sugary goodness.

“These are for after dinner,” Mia said as she covered the plates with the cookies in tin foil. “You are just going to have to wait.”

“Aw, man! That’s not fair! Can’t I just have one?” Kento whined. Hana shook her head and grabbed his hand with hers. Blood started to rush to his cheeks as he looked down at Hana.

“Come on. Let’s go hang with the others while we wait for dinner,” she suggested with a smile. Kento couldn’t refuse as he was led out of the kitchen and into the living room where everyone but Cye was present. Sage and Rowen returned home for the holidays. Rowen and Ryo were having a heated discussion while Sage was in one of the armchairs reading a book. Natsumi was sitting next to Rowen on the couch minding her own business until she saw Hana. Kurushimi’s command was playing inside her head as she sat there motionless. Rowen and Ryo stopped talking when Hana sat between them on the couch. “What’s up?”

“We are just talking sports. You seem to be doing okay,” Rowen said with a smile. “I’m glad. I like you this way.”

Hana blushed and turned to Ryo. “He hasn’t seen me in my rebel state, has he?”

“I’m afraid not. Sage hasn’t, either,” Ryo said. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t return.”

All Hana could do was smile at the comment. She couldn’t promise anything because that’s how she was. Her rebel state would always remain with her. Sage, who was listening to the conversation, was now looking at Hana from behind his book. Was she the reason why he was getting the strange feelings? His thought was cut off when Mia announced that dinner was now served in the dining room.

Everyone gathered around the long, wooden-polished table with food galore spread on top. A roasted chicken was sitting in front Kento as he licked his lips. One by one everyone grabbed what they wanted. Kento, of course, grabbed both chicken legs and helped himself to all of the side dishes. Laughter erupted when Kento dropped one of his chicken legs and started crying over the fallen food. Hana patted him on the back while Rowen teased him about it. Cye, who was quiet for most of the dinner, started laughing at Kento’s expense. The laughter stopped when he saw how Hana and Kento were getting along with one another. Jealousy reared its head from deep within him as he continued to watch the pair. Natsumi followed Cye’s gaze and clenched her teeth nervously. This wasn’t the only time Cye was noticing Hana. As each day passed, it seemed like he was more interested in her than to Natsumi.

“I’ll do the dishes,” Hana volunteered. “The faster we get cleaned up, the faster Kento can have the cookies Mia and I baked.”

“Yeah! Cookies!” Kento shouted with his arms in the air.

“Cool it, hard rock,” Rowen laughed. “Try saving some for the rest of us.”

“I agree,” Sage smiled. “I would like to taste these cookies, as well.”

Kento pouted. “Fine. Each one of you gets two and I get the rest.”

“How’s that fair?” Ryo chimed in.

The discussion turned into arguing over how many cookies one person was getting. As the guys argued, Hana started removing the dishes from the table and headed into the kitchen. She turned the water on to the point where the temperature was just right and started scrubbing the dirty dishes.

“I see you are doing fine,” said a soft voice. Hana stopped what she was doing and turned around to see Natsumi standing behind her. A smug look was on the young girl’s face.

“I guess,” Hana said as she returned her attention to the dirty glassware. She didn’t really want to talk to the girl who stole Cye away from her.

“Cye got a ring for me for Christmas,” Natsumi said as she played with the circular object on her finger. “He’s such a nice guy. He was always there for me no matter what the situation. I’m like that, too. No matter what, I’m always there for him.” Trying the best she could, Hana focused on scrubbing a stain on a plate. “But you, you disappeared, from what I was told. For a year, you were gone and left him behind. You could have never been a perfect girlfriend for Cye.”

Something snapped within Hana as the purple aurora surrounded her body. The feeling of rage was too great as she lashed at Natsumi. The brunette dodged the attack just in time as Hana’s fist went into the kitchen wall. The plates in the sink rose into the air and surrounded Natsumi. “How dare you…” Hana said as a shadow covered her face. “How dare you even bring that up…” The plates were about to crash into the girl when Cye’s voice broke her trance. Glass shattered as it hit the tiled floor.

“Hana! What are you doing?!” Cye demanded as he ran to Natsumi’s side.

“Cye… I’m scared,” Natsumi said as she buried her face into his chest.

“I can’t believe you,” Cye said angrily.

“I-I didn’t…” Hana stuttered. “I just…” Next thing she knew, she was out of the kitchen and out the door into the cold.

* * *

The pathway was slick as snow started to stick to the ground. Faster and faster she ran until she couldn’t run anymore. She had to get away from the house, away from people. She made a right turn and ended up at her sanctuary. The newly built waterfall was frozen due to the weather. Sitting on one of the big rocks, she pulled her knees to her chin and stared at the ground. Her control slipped and she made a terrible mistake. A sound of a twig snapped behind her. Hana turned her head and saw a young girl standing before her. She was clad in a long black coat, and her long, dark hair was blowing in the wind. “Can I help you?”

The girl tilted her head to the side. “Are you okay?”

Hana sniffed and wiped the moisture from her eyes. “I’m fine. I just had a moment is all.” She looked at the girl who was staring at her. “Why are you here? It’s too dark and cold out to be out here alone.”

A smile formed on the girls lips. “I came here for you, Hana.”

Hana’s eyes grew wide at the mention of her name. “How do you kno-” Next thing she saw was red eyes and then nothing. Kurushimi caught Hana as she fell off the rock, a triumphant smile on her face.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care you,” Kurushimi cooed as she disappeared from the area, taking Hana with her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out when Natsumi tells the guys what really happened. Hana emerges as a different person, ready for revenge.

Tension was in the air as Kento slammed Cye’s body against the wall, his fist holding tightly to Cye’s shirt. “You son of a bitch,” he growled. The rage he felt increased as he looked into the teal eyes front of him.

“Kento, calm down,” Ryo commanded as he tried to pry the tight-locked fist that was holding Cye captive. “This is no time for fighting.”

“Like hell it is,” Kento sneered and pushed Ryo away with his arm. “I’ve stood back long enough. I’m sick of you hurting Hana and I’m sick of that girl over there.” Kento glared at Natsumi who was standing a few feet away in shock.

“This is not her fault,” Cye said as he struggled against the wall. “Don’t drag her into your mess.”

“Actually, it is,” came a calm voice. Everyone turned their attention to the blonde that was standing cross-armed. “I heard the whole thing that happened in the kitchen.” Sage kept his eye on Natsumi. “You provoked Hana into using her power, didn’t you?” Natsumi didn’t say anything as she stood in place, her nerves starting to wrack her whole body. She could feel her palms getting sweaty as everyone looked at her in curiosity. “You told Hana she could never be a perfect girlfriend to Cye. That’s what set her off. You were trying to get her into trouble.”

“T-That’s not-” Natsumi stammered as she took a step back.

“Natsumi, is that true?” Ryo asked as he approached the girl.

“Stay back!” Natsumi yelled as she backed into a corner. Fear was taking over her so fast that she couldn’t think.

“Stop it! Natsumi wouldn’t do something like that,” Cye said. He was getting irritated with all the accusations. “Natsumi, it’s okay. I believe you.”

“You’re such an asshole!” Kento shouted as his fist came into contact with Cye’s cheek. The bearer of Torrent fell to the ground, holding the hot spot on his face. A light blue ball rolled across the floor and stopped by Ryo’s feet. “What is that, Ryo?”

Ryo examined the object in his hand and looked at Cye. “Why isn’t your virtue showing in your armor orb?”

“Let me see that,” Sage said as he took the orb from his leader. “Cye, what is going on here?” Before Cye could answer, Natsumi bolted out the front door. Kento was about to go after her, but Sage held him back. “Leave her. We have more important things to sort out.”

* * *

 

Eyes slowly opened as they took a look at their surroundings. Everything was a hue of green. Warmth coursed through her veins as she realized where she was. Her blue eyes locked onto the young girl in front of her who grinned from ear to ear.

“I’m glad you are awake. How do you feel?” Kurushimi asked in a soft voice. Hana’s eyes grew wide when she saw she had tubes coming out of her body. She was completely naked in a tank filled with some green liquid. Her head felt heavy and her mind was cloudy. All she could do was nod her head at the question. “Splendid. I’ll let you out in a couple of hours. You still need time in there, but don’t worry, I have plans for you.” The young maiden walked out of her lab and made her way down to her father’s study. There, she found Natsumi with complete terror on her face.

“Kurushimi! I’m glad you are here!” Natsumi cried. She ran to the girl and grabbed her arms. “They are starting to clue in on what’s going on.” A grin formed on her pink lips as she removed Natsumi’s hands from her. “What do we do?”

“Nothing. My plan is already set into motion. I have Hana in the tank and soon she’ll be under my control. I will finally have my revenge and complete what my father wanted to do,” Kurushimi explained. “The world will soon come to an end.”

“W-what? What do you mean?” Natsumi said in a shaky voice. The fear she felt was increasing tenfold in her body.

“You will see soon enough. I have no use for you. Now go and leave me be,” Kurushimi said as she made her way to her father’s desk.

“What am I supposed to do? Please let me stay,” Natsumi pleaded as she got on her knees.

Red eyes flashed as Kurushimi looked at the scared being in front of her. “I said go!” With a raise of her hand, a force pushed Natsumi out of the room, causing her to crash into the railing and falling down to the first story of the house. The injured girl slowly picked herself up and limped out through the castle door.

Tears started to roll down her dirty cheeks as Natsumi walked down the street lit sidewalk. No one paid no mind to the girl as they drove passed her to their destination. She couldn’t go home in the shape she was in. She sat down on the cold sidewalk with her knees up against her chest as she cried into her arms. The world was in danger and it was thanks to her. She had to tell the boys everything, even though, she would lose Cye forever.

* * *

 

Mia handed Cye a bag full of ice for his now red cheek. The boys were now sitting at the dining room table. Each had tea, but none of them were interested in the hot liquid in front of them. Cye glanced over at Kento and saw that his hard-headed friend was staring at him. After a couple of minutes of mustering up his courage, he spoke.

“What’s up with you and Hana? I’ve noticed you two together a lot,” he asked.

Kento scoffed at the question. “Why do you care? You were the one who dumped her as if she were a piece of garbage.”

“Kento, please,” Mia pleaded.

“No, Mia. Cye wants to know? I’ll tell him. I love Hana. There, I said it,” Kento said in a harsh tone. It felt good to finally get that off his chest, even though everyone but Cye knew it already.

A pang of pain shot Cye in the heart after hearing Kento’s confession. The room remained silent, save for the rolling noise Cye’s armor orb was making, thanks to Ryo rolling it pensively on the wooden table.

Sage cleared his throat. “Cye, your virtue is ‘trust’; however, it’s not showing up in your orb. There is something you’re not telling us, or there is something going on that’s clouding your virtue. Which is it?” Sage asked in a calm tone. He didn’t want to increase the tension that was already in the room. At this point, everyone was looking at Cye, waiting for some sort of answer.

The auburn haired man looked at his hands that were clasped together on the table. He stared at the once hot beverage before him. He didn’t know what to say. It felt like his mind was in a fog and that the answer was hiding itself in the mist. “I-I don’t know…” was all he could come up with. He rubbed his temple with his right hand as if that would help lure the answer out.

“What about this Natsumi girl?” Sage questioned. “How did you meet her?”

“What’s with the Q&A?” Cye asked irritably. He was getting sick of Sage’s little interview.

“Just answer the question,” Kento glared.

Cye closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and out through his nose. “I met Natsumi at school. I accidently bumped into her and helped her up. After that, we kept passing each other, but we didn’t say much other than a simple hello. Then one day, I saw her sitting by herself eating lunch. We started to talk casually and ever since then, we started hanging out,” Cye explained. “She’s a shy girl and I don’t think she has many friends. I felt bad for her…”

“So, you decided to dump Hana and fulfill this girl’s wish?” Kento asked with venom in his voice. “We all knew she had a major crush on you.”

“That wasn’t it!” Cye snapped as he glared at Kento. “That wasn’t it at all…”

Sage closed his eyes for a brief moment before returning his attention to his comrade. “Do you still have that necklace she gave you?”

“The one Natsumi gave me?” Cye questioned. “Hana has the one her mother gave her. She took it back when she found out that I lost it.”

“Yes, that one. Can I see it?” Sage inquired. Hesitant at first, Cye took off the blue pendant Natsumi gave him and handed it to Sage. Lavender eyes examined the pendant closely as if looking for something. His eyes widened as he looked at Cye. “There is liquid in this pendant.”

“Liquid? What kind of liquid?” Rowen asked even more interested than he already was.

“Kento, smash it,” Sage ordered as he laid the pendant on the table. Cye stood up and was about to retrieve it when Ryo placed an arm in front of him.

“With pleasure,” Kento grinned, and with one hard smash with his fist, the pendant shattered. The liquid that was once contained spilled out onto the wooden table. Everyone gathered closely and examined the green substance. Kento placed his index finger in it and immediately pulled back.

“What? What is it?” Ryo asked as both he and Cye sat back down in their seats.

Kento blinked as his mind started to clear up. “I-I touched it and all of a sudden my mind started to get hazy,” Kento explained. “Almost like some sort of… numbing stuff…”

“Great terminology,” Rowen smiled, which resulted in a scowl from Kento.

“Mia, go get a wet cloth and get rid of this stuff,” Kento said as he sat back down holding his head.

“How do you feel, Cye?” Ryo asked his friend who was sitting next to him. The bearer of Torrent looked confused as he looked at Ryo.

Events started to surface very slowly in his memory. “I-I don’t know… what happened? What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on-” Sage was cut off when he saw Natsumi limp into the dining room. “What are you doing here?”

“Please,” Natsumi pleaded with tears rolling down her face. Her whole body was filthy with dust and dirt. Blood trailed down her left leg and onto her now red sock. Her hair was a mess as she looked at the five boys in the room. “Please, let me explain everything.”

* * *

 

Hana put on her black tank top and green shirt that showed off her shoulders and the straps of the tank. After putting on her black pants, she looked in the mirror that was in the room. Her nose scrunched up in disgust at the being in the mirror. She saw a blade to her right and took it into her hand. After placing the blade underneath her hair, she moved it upward, chopping off some of her hair. Hana placed the knife back to where it was and made her way down the hall to the office where Kurushimi was. The young girl had drawn some sort of summoning circle on the floor in purple chalk. Candles were lit on stands that surrounded the circle along with what looked like a dead animal in the center; the body was all mangled up so she couldn’t make out the species. Kurushimi showed up with a book in her hand and smiled at her guest who now sported a shorter ‘do.

“I see you cut your hair and you got yourself dressed,” she said as she turned the pages to the book.

“I can dress myself. I’m not some kid,” Hana said in a cold tone of voice. “What do you want with me?”

“You know, when I looked up the ingredients to that liquid, it never said it was going to give my servants attitude,” Kurushimi said through clenched teeth.

“What attitude? This is how I am usually. You should know this because you apparently have been watching me,” Hana grinned at the comment.

“Anyway, I’m going to summon this Taikoku back to life. According to my father’s research, he was a very powerful lord that was sealed away by his younger brother,” Kurushimi said as she walked around the circle looking in the book. “My father wanted to summon him so they could team up and bring this world to its knees. I don’t know why my father wanted to do it, but if it’s something he wanted, I shall carry it out.”

“Great. More summoning of demons,” Hana said sarcastically as she rolled her blue eyes. “Let’s just get this over with. I’m done with all this summoning shit.”

Kurushimi raised an eyebrow at her new servant. “You are an interesting human. I did choose the right person for the job.” The girl stood east of the circle and started to chant whatever was in the book. Lighting struck outside as the wind picked up. The candles in the room flickered as the circle started to glow. The animal that was in the center dissolved into the ground. Kurushimi grinned as she said the last few lines and with a flash of light, the candles blew out. Everything returned to normal outside and in the room. Hana looked around the space and then to the child.

“So, where is he?” she asked. She looked outside of the office and saw nothing. “You sure you did everything right?”

“Of course I did,” Kurushimi said. “Maybe it takes time for him to awake from his slumber or something. Whatever. I have more important things to do.” She looked at Hana and smiled. “You have a power that can be useful to me. There is a technique that I want you to try.”

“And what is that?” Hana asked with a raise of her thin eyebrow.

“This technique can make you merge with anything. Shijisha had this ability before she foolishly gave her life away. I want you to learn it before we attack those Ronins.” Kurushimi said with excitement in her voice.

Hearing the word ‘Ronin’ made Hana scowl. Her hands turned to fists as her brows furrowed. The heat inside of her rose as she slammed her fist against the iron door. “They will pay for what they did to me,” she sneered.

Eyes beamed as Kurushimi took Hana’s hand and led her out of the office. “Splendid! They so will! I will train you so when you face them, you can have your revenge on Torrent.” Hana just nodded as she followed her mistress to a different part of the castle.

* * *

 

“So, this Kurushimi girl came to you and told you she could make Cye yours?” Ryo asked softly as he bandaged Natsumi’s leg.

Everyone migrated to the living room where it was more comfortable. Natsumi, who finally stopped crying, sat on the couch. Her face was tear-stained and her eyes were bloodshot. After applying the last clip, Ryo sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her tiny frame. Her eyes widened at the sudden motion, but she was too tired to care.

“That’s why everything was in a haze,” Cye said as he started to connect everything together. “You were controlling me through this liquid that girl gave you. You made me dump Hana.”

“I know,” Natsumi said in a shaky voice. She could feel the tears surfacing again as the guilt kept hitting her. “I’m really sorry…”

“It’s not your fault,” Ryo said reassuring. “You were manipulated.”

“Ryo’s right,” Rowen said as he knelt down in front of the sullen girl. “You are only human.”

“But it is my fault,” cried Natsumi. Now her tears were flowing freely again down her dirty cheeks. “I was so driven by jealously that I went to someone who I knew I shouldn’t have trusted. Now she’s going to destroy this world and… poor Hana…”

“Where is Hana?” Cye asked. “Do you know where she is, Natsumi?”

“Kurushimi took her and now she’s in the same tank I was in. She’s trying to control Hana, and knowing her, she’ll succeed. She wants Hana for her powers and to use them against you all,” Natsumi explained. “You have to stop her. Cye, you said that you guys have this armor you use to defend this planet, right?”

“You told her about our armors?!” Kento asked in surprise. “How could you tell her that?!”

Cye glared at his comrade. “After what happened with Hana’s first attack, I had no choice but to fill her in. What else was I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know. You could have said this was all a dream and knock her out,” Kento suggested as he threw up his hands. “What else does she know? Our family history? Our shoe and clothes sizes?”

“That’s about it,” Cye replied not amused.

“Stop it, you two,” Mia said as she walked into the room. She handed Natsumi a damp cloth. “Use this to wipe your face. Afterwards, you could use the shower upstairs.”

“Thank you, Mia,” Natsumi smiled and rubbed her face with the cloth.

“We have to get Hana back,” Sage said as he leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed. “We can’t let this new evil take advantage of her.”

“But where do we start?” Rowen asked.

“Natsumi?” Ryo asked in alert. The girl he was holding collapsed onto his lap, unconscious. He felt her head and looked at Mia. “She’s warm and her body is starting to sweat.”

Mia double checked and picked up the unconscious girl. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I’ll take her upstairs and put her in one of the beds. Maybe she’s just over exhausted and needs rest.”

“Maybe…” Ryo said with concern etched on his face.

“Cye, now’s not the time for TV,” Rowen said as his friend switched to the news channel.

“If that girl is controlling Hana, then chances are she’s going to lure us out there,” Cye said as he set the remote down.

“I’m glad to see you are feeling better,” Ryo said as he tossed Cye’s armor orb back at him; the ‘trust’ symbol was back in the orb.

Just then a beeping sound emanated from the television. Footage of turned over cars and people running could be seen. “What did I tell you?” Cye said as he looked at the screen.

“Important news,” the reporter said. “In downtown Shinjuku, there has been some sort of catastrophe. Cars seem to have been flying on their own and some of the buildings have collapsed. No word on what’s causing this mayhem.”

“We need to head to Shinjuku, guys,” Kento said, who was already wearing his sub-armor. “We need to rescue Hana and get things back to normal.”

“Agreed,” Ryo said. And with that, the five men all ran out and toward the city.

* * *

 

People scattered across the city in a panic, mothers shielding their children the best they could as they sought out shelter. A thick cloud of debris from the fallen buildings covered the area. Traffic lights blinked red, yellow, and green as cars crashed into one another. The Ronins walked over broken and raised concrete.

“Don’t tell me Hana did all this,” Kento said quietly to himself as he surveyed the land.

“It’s hard to see anything,” Rowen commented as he tripped over a crack in the road.

“Everyone just stay together,” Ryo ordered. “We don’t know what we are up against.”

Suddenly a steel pole appeared from the air and struck the ground hard. Everyone jumped out of the way and looked at the pole in front of them. Cye looked up when he heard a laugh coming from above him. He squint his eyes hard, trying to see through all the debris.

“Who is that?” Rowen asked as he too tried to make out the being.

Short, black hair blew in the wind as the girl stared at the warriors below her. Kento’s eyes grew wide at the figure. A fear of dread washed over him as he stared at the one woman he loved. “Hana!”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final showdown starts.

Hana glared at her friends who were standing below her; the heart that was once filled with sorrow was now filled with hatred. She chuckled to herself as she heard Kento’s voice yell her name.

“You sure it’s Hana?” Rowen asked Kento as he tried to see.

Kento nodded. “I’m sure it’s her. I can tell by the curves of the figure.”

Cye looked in Kento’s direction with wide eyes. “Kento! Seriously?!” he asked in a shocking tone. “I don’t believe you!”

“Now’s not the time for this,” Ryo said as he surveyed the area around them. “How do we know she’s alone?”

“We don’t,” Sage replied as he, too, was keeping his guard up. His lavender eyes darted back and forth, trying to see if anything was in the air.

“She must be freezing up there. I don’t see her wearing a coat,” Rowen commented as he finally was able to make out her form.

Suddenly, an aurora of purple surrounded Cye’s body, making him float toward the figure that was standing on the roof of the building. As Cye drew closer to the figure, the details of the body that he knew so well took shape, and to his dismay, he could see that it was indeed Hana. Her eyes were cold and dark as she glared at him. She held out her hand in a stopping motion, making Cye halt before her.

“Well, hello there,” she said in a low voice, which was tainted with venom. He could see the darkness that resided in her blue eyes, the bitter stance she presented in front of him. Her lips formed into a scowl as she looked him dead in the eyes.

“Hana, please stop this,” Cye pleaded. A shiver ran down his spine as the cold wind picked up. He wasn’t sure if the shiver was because of the altitude he was in, or if it was the cold stare she gave me.

Hana moved her pointer finger toward her. Cye moved in closer almost to the point where she could feel his breath. She looked into his teal eyes before a grin appeared across her lips. “Isn’t that cute? The man who stomped on my heart, shattering it to tiny pieces is telling me what to do,” Hana said in a smooth voice. “Do me a favor, Cye? Break my fall?” Hana twirled her finger and as a result, Cye spun around until his back was to her. She grabbed his wrists, pulled his arms back and pushed on his back with her feet. Cye began to fall face down with Hana on top of him. He tried to struggle free, but to no avail. With a loud crash, his sub-armored body hit the pavement.

“Cye!” Ryo yelled as he made his way toward his fallen comrade. He stopped short when Hana held out a hand, and an energy ball came to life in the center of her palm.

“No one comes any closer,” she ordered. “I have business to take care of.” She grabbed a chunk of auburn hair from Cye’s head and pulled him up so she could see his face. The face she adored was now dripping with blood.

“Hana… please… I can explain,” Cye said weakly as he opened one eye. Even with his sub-armor on, his whole body ached from the fall, almost making it impossible for him to move.

She yanked his head forward, causing the bearer of Torrent to yell out in pain. “You don’t have to explain anything.” With a raise of a hand, she slapped him across the face. The same spot where Kento slapped him now hurt twice as much. “I’m going to hurt you way more than you hurt me, Cye Mouri.” The hand that had the energy ball was now at the side of Cye’s bloody and bruised face.

A hard force hit her on the side as she let go of her victim. After hitting the ground hard, she looked up at her attacker. Kento held her down on her back as she tried to struggle free. Rowen and Sage carefully brought Cye to his feet and walked him to somewhere safe.

“Hana, listen to me. This isn’t you,” Kento said as he held down the girl he cared for the most. “Snap out of it!”

“Go to hell!” Hana shouted as her power started to increase. Kento felt his whole body lift into the air. “Don’t act like you actually cared for me.” With a flick of her wrist, Hardrock was thrown into one of the buildings. Energy balls were tossed into the air and stayed in place. The Ronins looked above them, wondering what was going on. “Meet my new attack.” With a snap of her fingers, the energy balls came crashing down, creating an explosion.

* * *

 

Natsumi slowly opened her eyes to find Mia sitting beside her. Her eyes wandered around the room and then back to the older woman who was looking at her with concern. “W-where am I?” she asked softly.

“I brought you to one of the rooms after you collapsed,” Mia explained. “You were running a high fever and sweating immensely.” Placing a hand on the young girl’s forehead, Mia checked to see if the fever had broke. A smile formed on her face as she took back her hand. “You seem to be doing better.”

After sitting up, Natsumi looked at her folded hands that were sitting on her lap. “It was the serum I had in my body. I guess it wore off,” Natsumi said. “It felt like I was going through withdrawal. I felt nauseous and my whole body shook.”

“Almost like a drug,” Mia added in understanding. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Natsumi nodded. “Where are the boys?” Natsumi wondered.

“There was something on the television about weird events happening in downtown Shinjuku. The boys went to see what it was,” Mia replied.

“What?!” Natsumi exclaimed as she shot out of bed so fast that she almost knocked Mia right off her chair. “They’ll get killed! I know for a fact that Kurushimi is behind this.” Before Mia could get a word out, Natsumi dashed down the steps and grabbed her coat.

“Wait, Natsumi! Where are you going?” Mia questioned as she raced after the brunette.

“I’m going down there. I have to stop all this,” said Natsumi as she got her yellow winter coat on.

Mia could see the determination on the girl’s face as she zippered her coat up. “Then I’m coming, too,” Mia said as she got her own coat and followed Natsumi out the front door.

* * *

Rowen emerged from the rubble after the hit. “How did she gain so much power?” he coughed.

“It has to be that liquid stuff Natsumi was telling us about,” Sage said, who was covering Cye’s injured body.

“This is ridiculous!” Kento shouted as he threw debris off of him. “Lady, if you have problems with us, show yourself!”

“I’m right here,” Hana replied as she took an energy ball and collided it against Kento’s torso, sending him through multiple buildings.

“Ryo! We have to call out our armors!” Sage yelled from across the battlefield.

Wildfire nodded. “To arms!” he shouted. One by one the armors were called. Cherry blossoms appeared along with ribbons, forming into the five armors. “This stops here, Hana!” Ryo called out, now clad in his Wildfire suit of armor.

“And you are going to stop me?” Hana asked with a raise of an eyebrow. “Can you really stop me?”

“S-She’s right,” Cye said as he held onto Sage for support. He was the only one not bearing his Torrent armor. “We can’t attack her. She has no armor on and we all know she’s a pawn for someone bigger.”

“Oh, you’re still up?” Hana asked as she looked in the direction of Halo and Torrent. “I assumed you lost consciousness.”

Sage was about to say something when two figures appeared in his peripheral vision. Both Mia and Natsumi stopped when they got close enough to everyone. Natsumi looked around at the wreckage caused from the fight. At least ten buildings fell to their knees and more than a dozen vehicles met their end. Luckily she didn’t spot any bystanders.

Her blue eyes stopped at the sight of Hana, who now donned a shorter hair style that wasn’t quite even. She then noticed the suit of armors the boys had on, except for Cye, who was still clad in his sub-armor. Her eyes went wide with shock as she saw Cye holding onto Sage, blood dripping down his face along with a couple of bruises. With fists clenched at her side and fear slowly rising within her, she took a step toward Hana.

“Looks like the victim showed up,” Hana said sarcastically. “Are you here to say more things to me about Cye? Because as you can see, he’s not available at the moment.”

“Hana, please stop this meaningless battle. It wasn’t Cye’s fault,” Natsumi tried to explain. She could feel the hatred burn into her as Hana glared straight into her eyes.

“Again with this ‘It’s not his fault’ talk,” Hana said as she shook her head. “Well, guess what, hun?” Purple aurora surrounded Hana’s body as she formed energy blasts in both hands. “It is his fault, and you are going to pay along with him!” Both balls of energy left Hana’s side and aimed straight for the helpless girl in front of them.

Before the blasts could make contact, Natsumi found herself on her back with Ryo on top of her. Each blast made contact with Wildfire’s back, causing him to yell in pain. Natsumi’s eyes widened with shock and horror as Ryo’s body jerked with each blast that made contact to his red armor. His arms wrapped around Natsumi, bringing her close to his armored chest. “Ryo…” she said as tears uncontrollably ran down her cheeks.

“Why are you protecting the wretch?!” Hana cried as she tossed balls of energy into the air. “You want to die with her?! Fine by me!” She snapped her fingers and the balls crashed to the ground.

Ryo struggled to stay up after the blast. Natsumi noticed smoke coming from his armor as she sobbed quietly from beneath him. A smirk formed on Ryo’s lips as he looked down at the girl he was protecting. “The reason why I am protecting you… is because I like you, Natsumi. Ever since I first laid eyes on you,” Ryo said weakly. “But I knew you liked Cye, so I stood in the background.”

“Ryo…” Natsumi cried. Before she could say anything, a soft groan escaped from his lips as Ryo collapsed. “Ryo! Wake up! Please!” Natsumi shook him hard, hoping that the man who just confessed to her would wake up.

Mia raced over and placed a hand on Natsumi’s shoulder. “We need to get him away from here,” she whispered and helped Natsumi up. The two girls dragged Ryo’s body toward the area where Sage and Cye were. Sage kneeled down and placed a hand on Ryo’s armored chest. A soft glow of green surrounded the hand and then around his leader’s body.

“We are going to need him for this fight,” Sage said, not taking an eye off his injured friend. “I’m going to heal him as much as possible.” Natsumi watched in wonder at the magic act that was happening right before her eyes.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” said a soothing young voice. “You did some number on them, Hana.” Everyone turned their attention to the direction the voice was coming from. There, standing in her black laced dress, was Kurushimi.

“You told me I could have my revenge on them,” Hana scoffed. “At least I weakened them for you.”

“And you did a famous job,” the little girl complemented as she walked over to Hana’s side. “I see the pawn is here, as well.” She looked over at Natsumi, who was holding Ryo’s hand. “Now’s she’s after Wildfire? Didn’t expect her to be a whore.” After clearing her throat, she smirked at the warriors before her. “My name is Kurushimi, and I am here to get my revenge.”

“Revenge on what? Your outfit?” Kento sneered as he made his way back to the battlefield. He turned his head to the left and saw Ryo lying on the ground unconscious. “Lady, you have ticked off the wrong person!” He grabbed his weapon, ready to attack her with his ultimate move.

“I wouldn’t do that, Kento,” Hana said as she stepped in front of her mistress. “You will have to get through me to get to her.” After a yell of defeat, Kento lowered his weapon to his side. “That’s what I thought.”

“Let’s show them our ultimate move and get this show on the road,” Kurushimi grinned. Hana simply nodded and closed her eyes, clearing her mind of all thoughts. Her body started to feel lighter as if her weight suddenly evaporated into the air. Everyone watched as Hana’s body glowed a light purple. Suddenly, her body turned transparent as she merged bodies with Kurushimi, becoming one.

“I had no idea she could do that,” Rowen said as he looked at Kento, who appeared next to him.

“She became one with her,” Mia said breathlessly. She gripped Natsumi’s shoulders as if to make sure the girl wouldn’t go anywhere. “Can she do that?” She looked at Sage, who merely shrugged.

Red eyes glowed as Hana’s power coursed through Kurushimi’s body. The once weak body was now strong thanks to Hana. She laughed loudly as she looked at her opponents’ faces of shock. “Shijisha, the spirit who inhabited Hana’s body before, knew of this little trick. It’s part of the reason why my father wanted her on his side. Luckily for me, I found out how Shijisha was able to do it and taught Hana. I am now stronger to carry out my father’s will and destroy this pathetic planet called Earth,” Kurushimi said proudly.

“Wait a second. You are the daughter of that freak?!” Kento questioned.

“Yes, I am,” Kurushimi smirked. “I saw what happened to him, and I am here to make sure his death wasn’t in vain.”

“Where is Hana?!” Cye demanded as he slowly got to his feet, his body still weak from the previous attack.

“Don’t worry. Think of her as an essence filling my soul,” the girl grinned.

Fury rose in Cye’s body as he clenched his teeth. “Armor of Torrent… Dao Shin!” In a burst of light, Cye was clad in his light blue armor, his yari pointed at his enemy.

“Cye, calm down,” Ryo said weakly as he tried to sit up. “Hana’s still in there. If we attack her, we’ll be attacking Hana, as well.”

Lowering his weapon, Cye stared at his leader with tears threatening to fall. “What do we do?”

“Stand there as you die,” Kurushimi said as she pointed to the sky. Everyone looked up and noticed that she had tossed hundreds of energy balls in the air.

“Cover Mia!” Ryo ordered Sage as he covered Natsumi with his body again. Sage grabbed Mia and pinned her to the pavement. The girl snapped her fingers and the hundreds of balls came crashing down to the ground, creating a big explosion of purple energy.

Kurushimi laughed as she saw the bodies of her opponents lying on the ground motionless. “Do you see this, Hana?” she asked. “All of them paid for what they did.”A roar could be heard in the distance as a white tiger ran toward the explosion. “What is this?”

White Blaze walked over and nudged Ryo’s face with its head. Ryo groaned as he opened his eyes and saw his companion looking at him with concern in its eyes. “White Blaze?” The mighty tiger roared into the air. Ryo looked down and saw Natsumi passed out on the ground. “We have to stop this evil.”

“I’m with you, Ryo,” Sage said as he got to his feet. “We have to call the Inferno armor.”

“Wait. What do we do about Hana?” Kento asked as he and Rowen joined their comrades. “If her soul is really a part of that crazy bitch, then she’ll get destroyed if we use Inferno’s power on her.”

“We can always try the virtue technique,” Rowen suggested. “It worked before; maybe it will work again.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Cye said. “It’s my fault that all this happened. If only I noticed things sooner…”

Rowen shook his head at Cye’s comment. “From what I heard, I doubt you would have been able to sense the evil that presented itself. You were under a spell that clouded your mind and judgment.”

Cye smiled softly at his blue-haired friend then at the young girl who merged his love. All five men closed their eyes as they concentrated on their virtues. The virtues of righteousness, grace, wisdom, trust, and justice appeared on Kurushimi’s forehead, causing the young girl to scream in pain. Each virtue kept flashing until Hana’s body slowly made its way out of Kurushimi and onto the ground unconscious.

“How dare you!” she screamed as she tried to pick up Hana’s body.

“Super Wave Smash!” Cye yelled as the water attack hit its target right in the chest. Kento ran over, picked up Hana’s body, and brought it over to safety. “Is she okay?” Cye removed the dark strands of hair from her face.

“I think she’s just out,” Kento replied as he put her down next to the other girls.

“Uh, guys?” Rowen said as he pointed to the being in front of them. The once attractive young girl was now a rotting, empty shell. Her cheeks were sunken, exposing her cheek bones, and her skin looked like it was melting off her bones as she slowly made her way toward the Ronins. Her red eyes glowed as she laughed manically.

“That is just sick,” Kento commented as his face scrunched up in disgust. “What happened to her?”

“Her father sold her soul a long time ago,” Natsumi explained. “She told me that after the ritual. All that was left was their shells.”

“That’s just messed up,” Kento remarked as he watched the zombie-like girl continue her way towards them.

“Ryo, put on the Inferno armor and finish her off,” Rowen said. Orbs of color appeared around the four warriors as they each gave their power. Fire broke out as Ryo’s once red armor was replaced with white. The white tiger known as White Blaze turned black and was wearing a similar white armor with swords mounted on its side. Ryo took the two swords and held them out.

“Give me that armor!” Kurushimi demanded as she pointed a bony finger at him. At this point, most of her skin was dripping off, exposing the bones beneath.

“Your time ends here,” Ryo announced as he connected the two swords together. He jumped up, holding onto the merged grips. “Rage of Inferno!” With one long swipe, the fiery attack hit Kurushimi, destroying her corpse with the blast. When the fire died down, all that was left of the little girl was a pile of ash.

“Thank goodness,” Kento said as he sat down on the cold pavement. “It was beginning to feel like a horror film.”

Mia helped Natsumi up from the ground. “We should get going before anyone comes by,” she said. The two girls got on White Blaze’s back as Cye picked up Hana.

“Hopefully this is the last battle we’ll see in a long time,” Rowen said as the gang started to head out of the city.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New bonds develop and Hana tells Kento that she knows how he feels.

A few days passed since the battle with Kurushimi. The withdrawal from the serum Hana went through was much worse than what Natsumi had to deal with. Sweats, fever, upset stomach and an attitude to add to the mix, wasn’t exactly easy on everyone. Everyone, that is, minus Ryo and Cye who were resting in their beds. Try as he might, Sage’s healing power didn’t seem to be relieving the rest of the serum that still coursed through Hana’s veins.

He still tried as Hana struggled against Kento’s iron grip. He held her arms out, a painful expression on his features as Hana continued to thrash about, cussing out the boys in the room with her.

“At least she isn’t using her powers,” Sage said with relief. He focused most of his energy on the flopping body beside him. “I don’t know how long I can keep this up.”

Kento grinned solemnly at his blonde-haired friend. “Dude, don’t worry about it. You are doing the best you can. Besides, I’m sure this serum crap will leave her system eventually. Don’t overdo it.” He winced as he felt a sharp pain hit his middle; she kicked him in the abdomen with one of her feet, calling him a traitor. “Hana, calm down,” Kento said through clenched teeth, trying his best not to let go of her arm to aid his sore center.

After a few more thrashes and cussing, Hana’s body went limp on the mattress; her eyes closed, her breathing slowed as she drifted off to sleep. Sage, now feeling slightly light-headed, removed his hands from above her and took a deep breath.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned his attention to his friend to see how he was doing. “Did she kick you hard?” he questioned.

Kento let out a small groan as he placed his hand over the area where she kicked him. “She does have a powerful kick,” he smiled weakly. “Not the first time she has hit me.” He saw Sage smile at him and patted his friend’s shoulder. “You should get some rest. You did a lot and to be honest, you look like hell.”

Sage chuckled at the remark he was given. “Thank you, Kento,” he said. “I should rest my body. I’m starting to get a headache.” The two men went their separate ways after exiting Hana’s room.

Kento made his way down the stairs and stopped mid-step when he saw a figure on the couch. The brunette sat there with a brown throw wrapped around her shoulders. She had a few bandages on her face due to the previous battle. A cup of tea was in her hands and her sight was fixated on a spot on the polished wooden coffee table in front of her. She was so lost in thought, that she didn’t realize the company that joined her.

“Hey,” Kento said quietly, trying not to startle the woman, seeing how she didn’t pick up her head when he made it down the stairs. He plopped himself down in one of the armchairs. “How are you feeling?”

Natsumi turned her head to the left to find the dark blue-haired man staring at her, waiting for a response. “I’m doing alright, I guess,” she answered softly. She took a sip of her tea and made a face of distaste on the now lukewarm substance. Her gaze returned to the spot on the table. It felt awkward having the man, who accused her of everything, sitting in the same room, alone. She couldn’t blame him though. All the events that had transpired in the last couple of months were because of her. She could see the guilt showing its ugly face again.

Kento stretched his tired arms over his head with a yawn. “Where’s Mia and Rowen?” he asked nonchalantly, looking around the area.

“I think they went to the super market,” Natsumi said, still not looking at her company. “I heard them talking to me, but I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“That’s good that they went out and missed the screaming session that happened a little while ago,” Kento commented. He unconsciously placed his hand on his abdomen.

Natsumi’s eyes grew solemn as the memory of Hana’s fit played in her mind like a short film. The look she gave her of pure hatred as the boys dragged her up the stairs; the screams of profanity that came from the second level of the house. The throw blanket tightened around her small frame, as if it would shield her from the pain and guilt she felt at that moment. Her blue eyes moved their gaze from the table to the hand that was on Kento’s mid-section.

“What happened to you,” she asked him curiously.

Kento looked at her baffled before looking down at his own hand. “Oh. Hana kicked me real good in the gut,” he answered with a small laugh.

“Are you okay?” Natsumi asked with concern plastered on her face.

“Oh, yeah,” Kento said with a wave of his hand. “This is nothing compared to what I had to face years ago. I got captured along with Sage and Cye by one of the lackeys of the evil lord. Let’s just say it wasn’t a five star hotel I was brought to. Our wrists were chained above our heads. He tortured us as Ryo and Rowen were trying to save us. So, I can handle a foot to the stomach.” He gave Natsumi a smile which made her blush. “Thank you, though, for asking.”

Hands tightened around the sides of the blanket as Natsumi swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “I’m sorry, Kento,” she apologized, tears brimming her eyes. “I know I don’t deserve anyone’s kindness due to what I did to everyone.” The young man listened as the girl next to him continued. “I’m surprised that you all allowed me to stay here.” A few tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks.

Kento sighed through his nose. “Jealously can blind people. Everyone has experienced it at least once in their life. Don’t sweat it. What matters is that we beat the bad guy’s ass and everyone is sort of back to normal.”

“Looks like you two are getting along,” a voice said from behind Kento’s chair. The both of them turned their heads and saw Ryo standing there, scratching the side of his head. His black hair was sticking up in all directions and all he was wearing was a pair of gray sweatpants. Natsumi could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as her eyes settled on Ryo’s well-toned torso. She quickly averted her gaze when she saw Ryo look at her.

Kento noticed pink rising to her cheeks and smiled. He quickly stood up from his seat. “I… better go check on Sage. The poor guy worked hard on healing everyone,” he said as he moseyed over to the stairs. “I’ll catch you two later.” He suddenly dashed up the stairs and out of sight.

“Kento is a good guy. He gets heated easily and is a stubborn mule, but he means well,” Ryo said, shaking his head.

Natsumi could feel her face get redder as Ryo took a seat next to her on the couch. His body was so close to hers that she could feel heat emanating from his body. Her nerves went crazy inside her body as she nervously looked up at the warrior next to her. The bearer of Wildfire looked down at her with a sincere smile across his lips. Quickly facing back to the table in front of her, her hands balled up into fists, almost to the point where her knuckles turned white. The words of his confession were all she could think about at that moment. Her body tensed as she felt a hand on her small shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Ryo asked softly. He was looking at her with worry in his tiger-blue eyes. “You look flushed. Are you feeling sick?”

“No,” she said in a small voice. “I was just… remembering what you said to me out on the battle field.” The hand on her shoulder gave a light squeeze as Ryo moved in closer. “Was it all true?” She couldn’t look at him straight in the face because she was afraid of what the answer might be. What if he was playing her this whole time?

“Of course it was,” Ryo said, still smiling at the girl next to him. “Like I said, I stayed in the background because I knew how much you liked Cye.” Natsumi’s blue eyes grew wide at the answer she was just given. She turned her head to the right to see a smiling Ryo looking at her fondly. He placed a rough hand on her bandaged cheek, stroking it softly and slowly. Natsumi’s heart raced as warmth flowed throughout her body. The nerves that were once present seemed to vanish without a trace. Ryo took her in his strong arms. “When you are ready, would you like to go out on a date?” he asked.

Natsumi nodded her head as she hugged him tighter, tears running down her cheeks. Suddenly, she felt a nudge on the side of her body. A gasp escaped her lips as she was face to face with a huge white tiger. Ryo chuckled at her reaction and petted his companion. “This is White Blaze. He’s been with me since I was little.” Dumbfounded, Natsumi looked at Ryo. “He helps us in battle with evil. I haven’t seen him in a while though.”

The white tiger nudged Natsumi some more. “What does he want?” she asked in a frightened voice.

“I think he wants you to pet him,” Ryo guessed. A small hand cautiously touched the fur on the giant cat. White Blaze made a sound of content when Natsumi started to scratch behind his ear. “He likes you.” Natsumi blushed as she continued to pet the exotic animal.

The front door opened with Rowen and Mia carrying plastic bags full of food. Rowen turned his head to the left and saw the two figures sitting comfortably on the sofa. Purring noises were emanating from White Blaze as Natsumi scratched under his furry chin.

A grin formed on his lips as he walked over to the two. “Isn’t this nice,” Rowen said as he set the bag full of various foods on the coffee table. “What have you two been doing?” The blue-haired man eyed Ryo’s hand that was on top of Natsumi’s, the two bodies were close together.

“Nothing!” Natsumi exclaimed as she quickly moved her body toward the other end of the couch. White Blaze made a sound of disapproval as the woman removed her hand from him. She looked at the hardwood floor, her face beet-red.

Ryo eyed his friend with irritation. “Nothing. Just woke up from my long nap,” Ryo replied, trying to sound cool. He glanced over at Natsumi and patted the poor girl on the back.

Mia walked into the room with a glass of water in her hand. “I’m glad to see you up and about,” she smiled as she handed the glass to Ryo. He chugged the water within seconds, the cold liquid felt good against his parched throat. Mia grabbed the bag that Rowen was previously carrying, and brought it into the kitchen.

Kento raced down the stairs and into the armchair he was sitting in previously. “So, did you ask her out?” Kento inquired, looking between Ryo and a very red faced Natsumi.

“What is up with you guys?” Ryo asked as he slammed his hands on his lap.

“Easy, Ryo,” Rowen said with both his hands up in defense. He could see the aggravation in his leader’s eyes. “We’re just playing around. We heard what you told her during the battle. We’re happy for the both of you.”

“Plus, I’m getting payback for when you guys tortured me during my thing with Hana,” Kento added as he placed his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

Ryo looked at his two comrades with hard eyes before sighing. He ran a hand through his dark hair, looking back at Natsumi whose face had somewhat returned to its normal color. “I asked and she said yes,” he said simply.

“Good for you, two,” Kento said with his signature wide grin.

“Thank you,” Natsumi said meekly. “Maybe I should see if Mia needs help in the kitchen.” She got to her feet and headed toward the kitchen area, leaving the three boys alone to talk.

* * *

 

A thick blanket of snow covered the area the next day, the temperature in the single digits. No one dared to venture out into the cold, so everyone had to find something to do within the house. Rowen and Sage shut themselves in their room that they shared, both studying for when they returned to school. The others sat in the living room with the television on. Natsumi was on the floor laying on White Blaze, the brown throw over her body.

Mia came down the steps, a smile plastered on her face. “Hana’s up,” she announced.

Cye was about to get up from the couch before Kento leaped up from his seat, almost as if he was on fire, and bolted up the stairs. Ryo placed a hand on Cye’s shoulder. “Let him see her first,” he said gently. Cye only nodded and forced himself to sit back down. Natsumi turned her head and stared at the top of the stairs.

Kento came out of his room, holding a medium sized black box. He silently walked over to the room where Hana was occupying. After a couple of soft knocks, he cautiously peered into the room.

Hana was sitting up in her bed, looking out the window. “It’s really bright outside,” she commented, not looking at her visitor. Her arms were wrapped around herself, her body still aching from the ordeal.

Kento cleared his throat and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “Yeah. It snowed last night,” he said, suddenly feeling awkward. “None of us have gone outside. It’s too cold and I’m sure the snow is up to our knees.” He slowly made his way to her bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m aching a lot,” she answered, looking at the man who fell in love with her. “But, I think the serum is finally out of my body.”

“That’s great news.” Kento took a seat at the edge of the bed. “We were all worried about you and Sage did his best to heal you.”

Hana’s face dropped as she looked down. “I know he did. I remember everything. I remember you holding me down as he worked his magic. I also remember kicking you in the stomach. Are you okay?” She looked into Kento’s eyes with remorse.

“I’m good,” Kento smiled. “I’ve been through a lot, so you kicking me is nothing.”

“I caused everyone so much anguish, again,” she said, a lone tear falling from her eyes. “When will it stop?” Hana choked back a sob as she placed her hands over her face, her shoulders shaking.

Kento set the box down and took her into his arms, rubbing her back to calm her down. “It’s over. You are not to blame for what happened,” he said in a soothing voice. “Both you and Natsumi were taking over by evil.”

“What?” Hana asked as she pulled away from Kento. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “What about Natsumi?”

“Natsumi was under the same crap you were. Although, I think it was not as strong as yours,” he explained. “She came to us and told us what happened. That stuff was also controlling Cye.” Hana’s eyes grew wide as she took everything in. “But let them talk to you about it.”

Hana just nodded as the information in her head kept playing. Kento turned to his side and took the box. He placed it under Hana’s nose. “What is this?” She took the box into her hands and examined it.

“It was a lousy Christmas, yeah?” Kento asked with a small chuckle. “I was going to give that to you, but things turned out differently. Open it.” Her hands shook as she removed the top of the black box. There, sitting inside, was the silver bangle she was looking at that one day when she and Kento went out on errands. She looked up at Kento with her mouth slightly open. “Merry Christmas.”

She smiled sweetly at the man in front of her and embraced him. “Thank you, Kento.”

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Kento said as broke the embrace. “I-”

Hana placed her index finger over his lips. “I already know, Kento. You don’t have to say a thing.” She leaned over and placed a kiss on the side of his mouth. “I won’t forget this.”

* * *

 

Hana slowly made her way into the kitchen. Her legs still felt like jelly and her strength wasn’t back to one hundred percent. She opened the fridge and pulled out a pear. As she turned, she saw Natsumi sitting at the dining room table, her head down with a book underneath. She took a bite out of the pear, enjoying the crisp taste as she headed toward the dining room.

“What are you reading?” Hana asked as she sat across the table from the timid girl.

Natsumi picked up her head and was taken aback as she looked at the person who she made her life miserable. “I-it’s a romance novel,” she stammered. She throat suddenly became dry as she looked into Hana’s blue eyes with hers.

“Romance novels are okay. I prefer adventure, fantasy novels with romance,” Hana said before taking another bite of her pear. She swallowed and placed the fruit on the table. “Kento told me what happened. Well, he told me that you were under the same stuff I was and that Cye was controlled.”

Natsumi closed her book and took a deep breath through her nose. “It’s true. I was the one who was controlling Cye. It’s just… I really liked him and when I found out that he had girlfriend, I was crushed.” Her hands fidgeted underneath the table, her gaze on the polished table top. “Kurushimi coaxed me into going into that tank and doing her bidding.”

“You weren’t the only one she had her eyes on,” Hana said with venom coating her words. “She manipulated us both.”

“So, you’re not mad at me for what I did?” Natsumi asked curiously. She saw the eyes of the woman in front of her soften, putting her mind and body at ease.

“I should be, but no, I’m not mad at you. I did some terrible things, too, that resulted in something that I can’t get back,” Hana replied softly. “I lost my family to evil.”

The brunette’s mouth hung open at the last six words. “Y-your family?”

Swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, Hana nodded. “I was possessed by an evil spirit who served Natsumi’s father. I’m sure she has told you that.” Natsumi nodded at the recollection on some of the talks she had with the little girl. “I was to obey her father’s every command which included Cye falling in love with me. However, I started to fall for him and the task became difficult. I disobeyed him and because of that, he destroyed my family.” The color drained from Natsumi’s face as she listened to the horrifying story. “And then I got taken over again by the guy’s daughter. So is my life.” Hana gave a small smile as she looked at Natsumi.

“I’m so… sorry,” Natsumi said. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes. “I didn’t know…”

“If you did know that part about me, I would have been surprised,” Hana stated. “Don’t sweat it. I’m not mad at you.” She grabbed her pear and removed herself from the table. “I need to rest. I still feel horrible.”

“Yes, you should,” Natsumi agreed. “And thanks for understanding.”

Hana was half way out of the room when she stopped. She turned to face Natsumi once last time. “Oh. I’m happy for you and Ryo,” she said then exited the room.

“Word travels fast,” Natsumi said to herself as she felt her face grow red again.

* * *

 

Kento stood next to Ryo and Cye, fully clad in his Hardrock armor. The three of them stood in front of the deserted castle that sat on top of the hill. Kento gripped his weapon tightly in his hands as he looked ahead.

“You sure you want to do this?” Cye asked, looking at his friend. “I don’t think anyone is going to come back.”

Kento’s lips formed into a thin line as he shook his head. “We don’t know that for sure. We didn’t get rid of this thing after the first battle and another nut job arose from their grave,” he said with spite. “No. I want to do this so no one can use it.” He swirled his iron bo over his head. Ryo and Cye stood back as Kento powered up. “Iron Rock Crusher!” He aimed one end of the bo toward the ground, causing it to shake.

The castle that once stood tall and proud collapsed from the ground up. A thick cloud of debris spread as the remaining part of the castle fell to the ground. The bearer of Hardrock lowered his bo to his side, looking at his comrades.

“You did well,” Ryo said as he patted Kento’s armored shoulder.

“I’m just glad it’s over,” Kento said with a smile. “I love a good battle and all, but these psychos need to chill.”

“I agree,” Cye chuckled.

Kento returned to his street clothes and looked at his sea-loving friend. “Did you talk to Hana?”

Cye’s face dropped and shook his head. “No. I don’t know what to tell her,” he said sorrowfully. “I put her through so much pain, how do I even begin to approach her?”

Kento walked over and clasped his hands on Cye’s shoulders, a sincere grin on his face. “She knows about what happened. It wasn’t your fault and I think she knows that.” The auburn-haired man looked to the side, a solemn look on his face. “Before we left, Mia said Hana went out to her little place. Why don’t you go there?”

“Everything will be okay,” Ryo added with a confident nod. “Go talk to her.”

“Thank you, guys,” Cye said with an appreciative smile. “And thank you, Kento, for taking care of Hana.”

A small smile formed on Kento’s lips. “Don’t mention it,” he said, trying not to sound crestfallen.

“Well, let’s get going so you can go see Hana,” Ryo said as he headed for the car. “It’ll be dark soon.” The other two boys agreed and followed their leader.

* * *

 

Snow crunched under heavy winter boots. Cye made his way down the familiar pathway, under the small tunnel of rocks and past a couple of bushes that were blanketed in snow. He stopped when he saw the person he was looking for. Hana stood in front of the frozen pond, dressed in her green winter coat, black snow boots and a green scarf that was wrapped around her mouth.

The area sparkled due to the untouched snow, making her smile in tranquility, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. The sound of crunching snow made her turn her head in alert, her power building in defense. Cye held up his hands as he slowly walked into the area. Her power faded as her body calmed.

“It’s just you,” she said as she placed her arms at her side. “I thought you were an intruder.”

“It’s just me,” Cye said simply, rubbing the back of his neck. The two of them stood in front of each other, not talking, for what seemed like hours. Cye knew it was going to be awkward, but he didn’t realize how bad. “Look, Hana, I’m sorry,” he said. “I hurt you terribly.” He closed the distance between them, a pleading look in his teal eyes.

Hana took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled through her lips. “I know it wasn’t your fault,” she said as she turned her back to Cye. “Natsumi and Kento both explained to me what happened.” Cye watched the back of her head, her uneven dark hair softly blowing in the cold wind, waiting for more. “I don’t blame you, but my heart has gone through so much.”

Cye gently turned Hana’s body around so he could see her face. She wiped the moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand. “I understand.” He pulled her into an embrace, tears falling down his own cheeks. “You are the last person who I wanted to hurt.” His broad shoulders started to shake as he cried over Hana’s shoulder, his heart aching. “I love you so much.”

A hand patted the crying man’s back. “I love you too, Cye,” Hana said, her tears falling like small waterfalls. The two pulled away from each other, both wiping their eyes.

Cye removed a couple of strands from Hana’s face. “Why did you cut your beautiful hair?”

Hana shrugged at the question. “I don’t really know myself. I remember looking into a mirror and hating the way I looked. So, I took a knife to my hair.”

“No wonder it’s a mess,” Cye said with a smile.

“Thanks,” Hana said sarcastically.

Cye chuckled as he pecked Hana on the lips. “We should go. The sun is going down,” Cye said as he looked up at the pink and orange painted sky. “I’m sure the others are waiting for us.”

Hana nodded and intertwined her fingers with his. “I hope this is the last battle we have,” she said.

“I hope so too,” Cye agreed as the two of them left the area.

When Cye and Hana got back to Mia’s house, almost everyone was in the living room watching a comedy on the television. Kento had a plate of cookies on his lap as he laughed at whatever was happening on the screen. Natsumi was curled up on the couch next to Ryo, while Mia was sipping her tea in the air chair.

Ryo turned his head when he heard the two walk into the building. “Hey, you two,” he smiled. “We were starting to get worried.”

“No need to worry,” Cye said as he hung his coat on the coat rack. “We are just fine.”

“Seriously, Kento?” Hana asked as she made her way to the man with the plate of sugar cookies. “I hope you left some for the others.”

“They each had one,” Kento said as he popped a cookie in his mouth with a wide grin. “These are so good!” He stopped chewing when he saw the silver bangle that hung from her wrist, glisten softly against the room’s light. She followed his gaze and smiled softly at him.

“Thank you again,” she whispered. “I’ll treasure this.”

“Anything for you,” Kento whispered back. His heart still ached whenever he looked at her, knowing that his love for her was one-sided. He cleared his throat and his signature wide grin appeared across his round face. “You should definitely make this again, Hana.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hana smiled.

“Looks like everyone is doing well,” Rowen commented as he descended down the stairs with Sage not too far behind.

“Now that everyone is here,” Natsumi said as she got up from her seat. Everyone watched as the brunette made her way to the front of the room. She stopped and bowed really low, her hands clasped in front of her. “I just wanted to say how sorry I am for causing you all trouble. I also wanted to thank you all for allowing me to stay with you. You have no idea how much guilt I feel, how much sorrow…”

Ryo got up next and walked toward the solemn girl. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to his body. “We said it before, Natsumi,” he said gently. “It’s not your fault. In this world we live in, evil lurks at every corner and grabs the most vulnerable suspect in its evil clutches. You just happened to be the next target.”

“And I’m not mad at you,” Cye added. “What’s done is done.”

“You have friends here, now,” Kento grinned, causing tears to well up in Natsumi’s eyes.

Eyes followed Hana as she stepped up, placing both hands on Natsumi’s shoulders. She looked the girl dead in the eyes. “I told you some of my story earlier. I know what it’s like to feel the horrible guilt of something that you can’t turn back to. All you can do is move forward.”

Natsumi nodded, wiping the moisture from her eyes. Ryo guided her back to the couch where everyone resumed their evening.

* * *

 

Hana looked out the window at the full moon as it watched the snow-covered Earth. The world outside her walls looked calm and peaceful. She felt arms gently wrap themselves around her mid-section, a body pressing against her back. She leaned backwards into his embrace as they both looked out into the sea of white.

“Beautiful, isn’t it,” Cye whispered. “Everything looks so pure outside.”

“It does,” Hana agreed. “I always enjoyed the snow.” Hana broke the embrace and turned around so she was facing him. “I wanted to give this back to you.” She held the blue teardrop-shaped necklace in her palm. “I know you didn’t lose it on purpose.”

Cye took the piece of jewelry from her hand and smiled. “Thank you, Hana.” He placed the necklace around his neck as he clasped the two pieces together. “It’s getting late. We should head to bed. I’ll stay with you, if you want.”

“I would like that very much,” Hana smiled.

The two of them got into the bed on the other side of the room. Hana curled up against Cye’s body, wrapping her arm around his torso. A soft smile broke across her lips as she sighed. The nightmare she experienced the past few months, had finally disappeared. Peace was finally settling in. She felt Cye’s breathing even out as he drifted off to sleep. After kissing him gently on the lips, she, too, drifted off to dreamland, knowing that everything was going to be okay.


End file.
